Coveted Blood
by Queen Of Dead Hearts
Summary: Third in the "Prince Of Blood" series. You think your life is on track. You think you know everything. Until everything comes crashing down around you and realize you never knew anything at all.
1. The Good Life

**The Good Life**

"What do you think of the name Agenta?" my best friend, Kate, asked me as we sat at her kitchen table.  
"It's pretty . . . But what's it mean?" I wondered as I took a sip of my coffee.

"Pure."  
"It's nice," I agreed, "But I kind of like Livania. Plus it sounds almost human . . . And you could call her Livvy."

"And what if it's a boy," said Domingo, Kate's boyfriend, as he strode into the kitchen.  
"He's got a point," I agreed.

"If it's a boy we should name him after my dad," Kate said, "Vulcan."  
"Why can't we name him after my father?" Domingo challenged, pouring himself a cup of coffee and leaning against the counter.

"Another excellent point," I granted.  
"You wouldn't agree with him if you knew his father's name . . ." Kate grumbled.

"What is it?" I wondered.  
"Rasmus," he said.

"Worthy of love," I recited, "That's not that bad."  
"Well what would be his nickname if we named him that?" Kate retorted.

"Well what would be his nickname if you named him Vulcan?" I challenged.  
"Vince," she said easily.

"I hate that name," Domingo put in.  
"Well I'm not naming my baby Rasmus," she said stubbornly.

"Then how about you don't name him after either of your dads?" I suggested, "If it's a boy."  
"I guess . . . but then what will we name him?" she wondered.

"What about Alcandor?" I threw out.  
"Yeah but then we'd call him Alec," she pointed out, "Which is too similar to Alex."

"I don't think Alex would mind."  
"Yeah but I would," she said.

"Okay . . . what about Andonious?" I tried again.  
"We could call him Andy," Domingo added.

"It's a possibility," she agreed, "But I'm still kind of hoping for a girl."  
"Hey, that's mean," I pointed out.

"Well I am _sorry_, but it's true," she said, "I have two brothers for Christ's sake, give me a break. Not to mention that Austin and Domingo's friends are always hanging around the house. The last thing this place needs is more testosterone. Besides, I'll still love it if it's a boy . . . I'd just like it if we had a girl. Then I could dress her up and put bows in her hair. Cause it's not like you let me play barbie with you anymore . . ."

"After the incident at your birthday party?" I asked, "I don't think so."  
She just rolled her eyes. "I kind of like the name Alpha for a girl," she said, ignoring me.

"A werewolf-vampire hybrid named Alpha?" Domingo quipped, "Classic."  
You see, my best friend Kate is a vampire, and she's pregnant with her boyfriend Domingo's baby. Now, Domingo is a werewolf. So there baby is going to be a hybrid. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Considering that I'm also a hybrid; a half human, half witch hybrid.

"It's a pretty name," she said, "But I get what you mean . . . what about Alayla?"  
"You really like 'A' names," I noted.

"It means War Goddess," she pointed out.  
"Hmmm . . . that is nice," I agreed, "Strong but feminine."

"I kind of like Alyce," Domingo threw in.  
"Is there a Greek name that means 'conceived by night of alcohol consumption?'" came a familiar male voice, "Because if so I think you should name it that."

"Shut up Austin," snapped Kate as my boyfriend, Austin walked in the front door. He looked gorgeous as usual. His golden hair fell into his eyes; he really needed a haircut. There were shadows under his big silver eyes but he was smiling. He looked tired but still as sarcastic and annoying as ever. And that's what I loved about him.

"How was the council meeting?" I wondered.  
"Eh," he muttered, heading over to the fridge and taking a blue sports bottle out of it.

"Sorry I couldn't go with you," I apologized. I'd promised Kate I'd go shopping with her for back-to-school clothes with her that night. Considering it was hard to find maternity clothes for someone as teeny as Kate it was a two person job. I couldn't back out on that.

"It's fine," he said, walking over to lean over the back of the empty chair, "Odysseus brought you a present." Out of nowhere he pulled out a magazine and tossed it onto the table. It was a cheap Azimon tabloid. I groaned at the cover story. _Princess or Royal Whore? _It showed a grainy photo of me at an Azimon party Austin and I had gone to the other night. I'd been drunk, and the photo showed me wearing a slutty outfit and rubbing up against Austin while we did shots. The little blurb below the picture read:

_Princess __Aella__ spotted at the popular __Azimon__ night club, Fangs, partaking in some activities not strictly Princess-like. Some begin to wonder if being reborn has made the princess go to the darker, __skankier__ side. Turn to page six to read more _

"Oh God . . ." I moaned, "He brought this up in front of the Council?"  
"Sadly yes," he said, "He flipped a bitch on your dad about how your 'vulgar harlot behaviors are bad publicity for the Council.' His words, not mine. Then your dad flipped a bitch on him, and then on me. Something about how I've turned his 'sweet little girl' into a 'high society skank.'"

"My dad called me a _skank_?" I demanded.  
"A high society skank," Kate corrected.  
"Shut up preggers," I snapped. "He really said that?"

"Yeah but no worries, I defended your honor," he said, "Totally flipped a bitch on him."  
I smiled faintly, "Thanks Austin," I said, "I still can't believe he said that."

In summary, I'm a reincarnate of the witch/vampire princess, Aella, who lived four hundred years ago. I'd gone through several other, human lives, before finally being reborn as a witch/human. I hadn't found out I was part witch until last October and hadn't found out I was a reincarnate until last January. It was all very confusing and it gave me headaches. But basically my mom was the first witch ever and my dad was the king. They still are, and they still act like my parents. Now, my boyfriend Austin is the prince, but not by blood, so there's no incest going on there. He and his twin sister, Kate, are a part of this big and important prophecy, so my dad made Austin the prince back before he knew he still had living children.

"Well you can let him have it next week," Austin assured me, sitting down in the empty chair.  
"I guess . . . it's gonna be really crazy with school starting up again on Monday though," I mused. I still couldn't believe we were going to be seniors . . . In all my lives I'd never been a senior before. When I was Aella, Bunny, and Sophia I was home schooled. And when I was Vivianne I dropped out sophomore year, seeing as I didn't think women needed an education back then. Plus I was totally full of myself and thought I was above school.

"You bet," Kate said, slowly getting to her feet, "I can't believe I'm starting senior year out here." She ran a hand over her humongous baby belly as she walked over to the fridge.  
"Well, it won't be much longer now," I pointed out. She was due this month.

"True . . . but then I'll have a kid on my hands," she reminded me, "Which is almost as bad as being fat."  
"Being pregnant isn't the same thing as being fat," I told her.

"Yeah but I miss my old clothes," she said, grabbing a sports bottle identical to Austin's out of the fridge.  
I laughed, "We'll you'll be able to rejoin them soon. . . Oh crap." I looked up at the clock; it was nearly 10:00. I had to go.

"What?" Austin asked as Kate snuggled up against Domingo who wrapped his arms around her, his hands resting on her huge stomach.  
"Rosette and Ken are coming over tonight," I said, getting up.

Ken was my older brother and Rosette was his witchy girlfriend who'd saved his life last year. Ken was a half witch like me, but he was the only one in my family who actually knew that we were witches. Rosette and him were _in love _so she'd obviously told him that she was a witch and that he was too. He'd freaked of course but he'd gotten used to the idea over the last few months. The both of them were staying up at my grandmother/mother's estate in Nero, upstate. You see, my first mother is also my grandmother in this life. It's very confusing but you learn to deal. Ken was the only one in my family who knew about it all though, but we were planning on when we were going to tell the rest of the family. For the time being though, none of them could comprehend why he'd postponed going to college to go live with his girlfriend and our grandmother.

"So I'll see you tomorrow?" Austin said, getting up too.  
"Yep, same place?" I asked.

"Definitely," he said with a smile before pecking me on the lips.  
"Love you," I said.

"Love you too."  
"See you tomorrow," I said.

"See ya," he said, sitting back down.  
"Bye guys," I said to Domingo and Kate.

"Bye Love Bird Number one of two," she said.  
"Goodbye Ms. Mommy," I teased back, "See you at the baby shower."

She laughed. "See you there." I walked out the front door and climbed into my yellow 2010 Chevy Camaro that my mom/grandmother had given me for my birthday last January. My biological parents had thought it too much, but I'd convinced them to let me keep it in the end.

When I reached my house, Rosette's crossfire was parked in my spot, so I parked on the curb. Locking my car behind me, I walked up to the front door and walked in. Sitting in my living room was my older brother, Ken, sitting next to the redheaded Rosette. Sitting next to her was an unexpected visitor, Vitani. Vitani was actually my little sister, if you went by my first life, but in this life she was actually my aunt. She'd been to our house a few times; my parents thought she was some distant cousin of ours who just happened to live with our grandmother.

"Becca," Ken said, getting up and smiling. Something he'd done little of before meeting Rosette. He walked over to me and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back, surprised by how much I'd missed him this summer. He'd left at the end of June once he finished his senior year to live with Rosette in Nero.

"I missed you," I said.  
"I missed you too," he said, releasing me.

"Hi Becca," Rosette said getting up and shooting me a smile; it had taken a while for her to stop calling me Aella.  
"What's up cuz?" Vitani said lazily without getting up. She was curled up on the sofa with her hands in the pouch of her hoodie and her feet on the cushions like she owned the place. But that was just Vitani for you I guess.

"Rosette and Ken brought Vitani with them," my mom interjected, "Isn't that great?"  
My mom absolutely loved Vitani. I wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she subconsciously knew she was the little sister she never knew she had.

"It's great, how long are you all staying?" I wondered.  
"Anxious to get rid of me already sis?" Ken teased. He was so much more talkative since he met Rosette. Well, it was talkative compared to his old mute behavior.

"No . . . I was just wondering how long I had to share my house with all you people," I teased back. I really didn't mind all these people in my house. First off, since I hardly spent any time in it, and secondly since I was used to having a full household. I was the youngest of four, and all of my other siblings had moved out. I was an only child for the most part now.

"Just the weekend," Vitani jumped in, "I start school on Monday. Not to mention I have a boyfriend or two waiting for me back home."  
She wasn't kidding about the two boyfriend thing either. She was in love (or as much of love as a fourteen year old could experience) with a totally sweet kid named Athan. But she still had some kind of twisted thing for her obnoxious ex-boyfriend Attis. Now, to be honest Attis and her were pretty damn similar, and he wasn't as bad as he used to be. But still, I couldn't fathom how someone could pick him over Athan. Not that she had made her choice or anything yet. Athan didn't even know she had a little Attis action on the side. Hopefully she would pick Athan and he would never find out about Attis. Because if he found out it would be _bad. _

I laughed like it was a joke though. "Well while you prepare for ninth grade freshie, I'll be reveling in senior year," I teased.  
"Yeah, good luck with that," she muttered.

"Vitani's going to share a room with you Becca," my mom told me, "That way Rosette can have Lydia's room." Obviously my mom didn't want Rosette and Ken sharing a room together even though they were both over eighteen and were so _totally _already doing it. They could've shared Ken's room though - considering he and our other brother Jake had shared a room their entire lives so there were two beds in that room. So him and Rosette could share a room_ without _sharing a bed. I guess my parents were just being extra safe, even though I knew for a fact that they shared a room (and a bed) back at my grandmother's house. I also knew that Rosette was defiantly going to sneak into Ken's room tonight.

Now, I know that for two reasons. One would be that it's obvious, and two would be that I was sketchingly physic. And by that I mean that I always seemed to know things that I _didn't _want to know. Like did I ever know what the answers to my calculus test were ahead of time? No. Or did I ever get a straight forward vision of whether or not Kate was going to have a girl? No. I always seemed to know things I didn't want to know. For example, I _didn't_ want to know that my brother was getting it on with the help. However, I did. But that's life I guess.

"Okay," I said, "C'mon Vitani, let's get you set up upstairs."  
"Kay," she said, jumping off the couch fluidly. Vitani was half witch, half vampire so every move she made was strong and graceful. She hadn't known she was part vampire though for most of her life. She hadn't even know her father was the king. But then again, our lives were full of deception.

"When you two are done come back downstairs so you can have some of the cookies I made," my mom called as Vitani grabbed her bag and followed me upstairs.  
"We will!" I called down as I led Vitani to my room. I closed the door behind me as she put her bag down on my bed.

"So what tempted you to come visit little 'ol Cold Springs Vittie?" I asked.  
"Whatever do you mean sis?" she asked with mock innocent, "I mean, there's so much to do here . . . like watch grass grow and paint dry."

"Okay . . . so you didn't come here by choice," I decided, "So . . . what did you do to make mom send you here?"  
"You know me too well sis . . ."

"So . . . what was it?" I prompted.  
"I may have . . . accidently thrown a wild party while she was away on business . . ." she said, "Accidentally."

"Damn . . . so your punishment was to come here?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.  
"No . . . She said she was too mad to deal with me right then so she told Rosette and Ken to take me with them," she explained, "They didn't mind."

"Well . . . it's nice to have you here anyway," I said.  
"Yeah yeah yeah, so how was Hawaii?" she asked excitedly. I had gone to Hawaii with Austin and his family that summer and it had been a total blast.

"It was great," I told her.  
"Did you and Austin swim with the dolphins? Have romantic midnight picnics? Make love on the beach under the stars?"

I threw a pillow at her and she laughed. She just _loved _screwing with me. But as far as little sisters went, she wasn't that annoying. We were actually friends. I knew it wasn't like that with most sister our age, but we didn't know each other for most of our lives and only saw each other every so often so we weren't sick of each other.

"Shut up," I told her.  
"So did you?"

"Yes . . . but it's none of your business," I informed her.  
"Oh la la," she teased, "Give me details."

"Keep dreamin' little virgin," I teased back.  
"Puh-lease," she said with a dismissive wave, "I'm fourteen and I already have _two _boyfriends."

"And you are proud of this?" I asked.  
"Sometimes . . . " she admitted.

"You are _so _weird," I told her.  
"Tell me something I don't know . . ."

* * *

**Well there it is folks, the first chapter of the 3rd book! so amazed that it's come this far . . . Anyway, plz review and let me no wat u think . . . And if there r any potential baby names that jumped out at u **

**plz review :)**


	2. Had Enough

**Had Enough**

"Ready to roll hot stuff?"  
"Hells yeah," I said, climbing into the passenger seat of Austin's Lamborghini, "Senior year - here we come."

It was Monday, the first day of school. I'd spent most of the weekend with Rosette, Ken, and Vitani - hanging out at Austin's house all the time in between. But now Monday had finally rolled around. It was the first day of senior year. Austin, Kate, and I were finally seniors; the top dogs at last.

He started the car and we were flying down the road, heading for Cold Springs High School.  
"Excited for senior year?" he asked.

"You know it," I said, "Although I am kinda bummed that summer's over."  
"Yeah . . . But at least you picked out a _sexy _outfit for your first day back," he said sarcastically.

I looked down at my outfit and was satisfied by how _not _sexy it was. I had gone through a brief slutty phase but I was now back to my band tees and skinny jeans. I was still all over Austin half the time, but I refused to let people think I was a skank. Sure, every so often I got drunk at a party, sue me. I was nearly eighteen, I was allowed to cut loose every so often. Even if the Azimons thought I was a 'royal whore' everyone in Cold Springs still needed to know that I was no tramp. For the first day back I'd worn my purple _Are You Always This Stupid Or Is Today Some Kind Of Special Occasion _message tee and grey skinny jeans. Along with my converse and colorful jelly bands reaching halfway to my elbow, I was back to normal old Becca wear.

"You makin' fun of me?" I asked.  
"No," he said, "Really I'm not. I miss the old Becca. I appreciated your wild child faze back there for a while but . . ."

"Yeah I know," I muttered, "I know. I totally lost it back there for a while. I had a lot to deal with you know? But it doesn't matter - I'm back."  
"Well good," he said, "I missed the old you."

"Well I don't miss the old you," I muttered, "Mr. Former-Man-Slut. I like the new you."  
He just laughed and rolled his eyes as he pulled into the Cold Springs High School parking lot. Cars were all over the place, but Austin's usual spot was still vacant. Nobody dared park there, and seeing as the freshies didn't drive, there was no chance a newbie would accidently park there. Austin would flip a bitch if anyone took his spot.

He parked the Lambo and the suicide doors opened up automatically so we could get out. When we stepped out of the car and the suicide doors closed, I noted some people staring and pointing. I couldn't blame them - a shiny orange Lamborghini Murcielago lp640 wasn't a common sight in tiny Cold Springs. Austin and his family were totally loaded so over the past year he'd had a Mercedes and a Maserati. However his parents hadn't bought him the Lambo . . . My dad, the king, had bought it for him as a bride to show up to Council meetings. He'd used it as incentive to continue to show up and hadn't given it to him until the other day. So nobody had seen Austin's new pride and joy yet.

When we approached Austin's group of friends - Jason, Bonnie, Trisha, Kyle, and Nick - we were greeted in a variety of ways. The guys did those very boy-ish hand shakes and slapped high fives while us girls hugged.

"Sweet ride Austin," Nick said, looking the Lambo up and down.  
"Yeah, your daddy buy it for you as an early labor day present?" Jason teased.

"Actually he was trying to bribe me to stop hanging out with losers like you," he teased back.  
"Clearly he needs to take back his present then," Bonnie chimed in.

We laughed as Kate walked over to us, her baby belly jutting out from under her pretty purple maternity top. I noticed the Maserati pulling out of the driveway and knew that Domingo had just dropped her off.

"Hey guys," she chirped. Kate wasn't exactly super besties with Austin's crew, but as a general rule they were nice to each other. They seemed to like each other well enough - but neither really went out of their way to see each other or anything.

"Hi Kate," Trisha chirped, "How's the baby?"  
"He-she-it is good," she said.

A few of us laughed, me among them.  
"I still think you should name the baby after me," Kyle teased.

"For the hundredth time Kyle," Kate said with mock weariness, "I am not naming my baby 'dickhead'"  
We all laughed, even Kyle.

"Point for Kate," I said.  
"So what's the score now?" Nick teased.

"Austin - ten thousand two hundred forty three," Austin jumped in, "Everyone else - zip."  
"Hey," Kate said, "You're forgetting something."

"Oh right. And Kate - one," he corrected.  
We all laughed as I noticed a group of bitchy scene kids walk by. They were the kind of people that everybody loved to hate. They didn't care about anything, they never signed up for sports or clubs, they never tried at anything, thought they were cool and could get away with anything, and showed up to school stoned half the time. I didn't really pay them any mind. Austin's group was really the only people that I would consider truly 'popular.' Not the kind of popular that everyone really hated but they still thought they were cool. Austin and his gang were actually liked by most - _most_ - people. These pot-head scene kids hardly deserved a second glance.

"Looks like the school whore is back to make her rounds," I barely heard one of them mutter as they passed by, looking at Kate. I'd heard them -just barely- and I had pretty human like hearing, so I knew that Kate and Austin had defiantly heard. Without hesitation, Austin whipped around and slammed the guy who'd said that into the door of the SUV parked there. Holding him up by the collar of his shirt and getting all in his face he snarled, "What did you just say?"

The guy was obviously scared out of his mind - Austin could be pretty damn scary if he wanted to - but he put up an impressive facade, I had to say.  
He even managed a smug smirk as he said, "I called your sister a whore. What 'cha gonna do 'bout it Mr. Quarterback?"

About half of the parking lot seemed to be watching the altercation, and the other half was too busy saying hi to everyone. Our group was defiantly apart of the percentage that was staring. Usually I tried to steer Austin away from fighting (him getting detention took away from our 'us' time) but there was no way I was stopping him now. I was super pissed; how dare that douche say that about Kate! Kate looked horribly upset. Back during junior year after everyone had found out she was pregnant she'd endured a lot of abuse. But Austin, Domingo, and I had handled it (with threats and some violence mostly) and it had eventually waned off. But now that we were back in school and it was starting up again, I could get why'd she be near tears - she'd thought she was done getting picked on. If that scene kid had any good sense he wouldn't have even said that near us (hell, I had human hearing and even I heard him) but he obviously didn't. If he did, he would've known Austin would flip a bitch on him.

"I could mess up your face," Austin suggested, his voice a threatening growl, "Or rip out your throat. Or maybe I could just pound you into a bloody pulp and bury you in my backyard."  
"Whatever man," the burnout said with a nonchalance that only someone as constantly stoned as him could manage under circumstances.

"Oh really?" Austin hissed dangerously before grabbing the guy by the shoulders and bodily slamming him on the pavement. When he hit the blacktop he was impressively (relatively) silent. His face scrunched in pain and he grabbed his shoulder but he didn't scream or curse or anything. He was 'too cool' to show emotion I guess.

"Hey what the fuck you think your doing Kardigan?" came another stoner's voice. The first guy's buddies had been pretty silent while Austin had threatened their friend - too big of wimps do anything - but now that Austin had actually hurt him one of his friends had stepped forward. He was a black guy who was around Austin's height; I thought his name was Brian. He was wearing ridiculously baggy sweatpants that could probably fit three other people and a stained t-shirt under a black sweatshirt that probably hadn't been washed in ages. I was friends with his little sister Morgan so I knew that the way he pretended to be all poor and 'hood' was a total act. I'd been to their house, it was nicer then mine - they're dad was a freakin lawyer!

"About to fuck up another dumbass poser," he snarled, whirling around to face Brian. Looking back and forth between the two I noted how they were polar opposites. Brian with his dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and grimmy clothes. And then Austin with his light skin, light eyes, light hair and perfect blue and white striped polo over light blue jeans.

"Yeah, good luck with that prep-tard," he said sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to look tough.  
"I don't need luck, pot head," Austin hissed sweetly, striding over to Brian with a walk that purposely looked unthreatening - not stalking or prowling. He was just taking normal steps, but perhaps a little too slowly. That's what gave it the slight predatory feel.

"What the fucks your prob anyway?" he asked tauntingly, "It's not like he was lieing when he said your sister was a whore."  
Austin growled lowly in the back of his throat. "You're going to regret that," he snarled.

"Oh, I'm shaking," he said, "Watcha' gonna do? Tell all the other Honor Society members to write me a strongly worded letter?"  
"You wish," Austin said, taking one last step so that he was practically toe-to-toe with Brian.

"Oh, now I'm really concerned," he said, "Are you going to back over me with your fancy little car?"  
"That wouldn't be nearly as rewarding as kicking the crap out of you myself," Austin said, "Plus your thick skull would dent my bumper."

"If I gave a fuck I would punch you right now," the guy said with poser-haughty-ness.  
"Scared?" Austin mocked.

The guy snorted. "Uck, no."  
"Then do it," Austin said in a hypnotizing voice, "I _dare _you to."

"Fine, you asked for it you fuckin' prep," he said as he raised his fist. As much as I wanted Austin to screw that guy's face up, I _didn't_ want him getting into a fight the first day of school. It wasn't a good start. So, putting a brief comforting hand on Kate's shoulder to let her know I'd be right back, I darted over to Austin and jumped between him and Brian. He stopped just as he was about to bring his fist down - it would've hit me in the face.

"Oh look," he sneered, "Emo Barbie has come to the Ken doll's rescue."  
"Go get bent Brian," I growled.

"You better get out of here lil' bitch," he said, "I'd hate to mess up that pretty face."  
"And I'd love to mess up your ugly one," I retorted, "But I don't have time to right now."

"Feisty little bitch," he noted, looking over my shoulder at Austin with a sadistic smirk, "Bet she's good in the sack." Okay, he'd just asked for it. I'd tried to prevent a fight (and save this dillhole's face) but it was too late for that now. Austin was going to beat the shit out of him and I couldn't stop him even if I wanted to. Not that I wanted to after that little comment though.

"You're fuckin dead," Austin snarled, darting around me and punching Brian in the face. He practically flew backwards and landed on the pavement. Nearly everybody was watching now as Brian got to his feet, surprisingly quickly, with blood pouring from his nose.

"Now you're askin' for it Kardigan," he growled as he came at Austin, swinging a punch at his face that he effortlessly caught in the palm of his hand. He closed his hand around Brian's fist and twisted his arm behind his back quickly. Then he kicked him, sending him to the ground. For the time being, I could barely call this a fight. Austin was just kicking his ass.

Brian got back up though, blood still pouring out of his nose and now out of his scraped up hands. Furiously, he charged straight for Austin, slamming him into the hood of somebody's sedan. For a brief moment Brian had Austin pinned against the sedan's hood. His face was inches above his, his blood dripping onto Austin's cheek; which _had_ to be bothering him at least just a little.

"You know," Brian hissed above him, "You're just like your sister. An annoying as fuck, stuck up, spoiled, whorey little brat."  
"Go to hell," Austin snapped.

"Oh, and another thing, your cheap emo girlfriend over there?" he asked, nodding over his shoulder to indicate that he meant me, "Is just some gold digging little whore who-"  
"I'm gonna fuckin kill you," Austin snarled, kicking him in the stomach and causing him to fall to the pavement.

In the next second, Brian sat up and pulled Austin to the ground with him after he kicked him in the shin to throw him off a bit. Austin half fell on Brian and the two of them rolled on the ground for a quick moment. It took Austin about two seconds to pin Brian and then just started wailing on him, punching him continuously in the face like there was no tomorrow. Now, I was all for seeing the little dickhead get pounded on, but I didn't want Austin to kill him. I was about to do something when Nick, Jason, and Kyle ran over and pulled him off of Brian. Brian who was lieing on the pavement with blood covering his face. Even if my hearing was of human levels, my sight was slightly improved and I could tell that there weren't a lot of actual wounds on his face, most of the blood was from his nose. Which was probably broken.

Austin's friends were all holding him back as he tried to get back to Brian. Now, these were all strong football playing guys and they were having a hell of a hard time keeping a hold on Austin. Just as he broke their hold and was about to make another move for Brian, Domingo appeared out of freaking nowhere and snagged Austin around the waist. I had no idea why the hell Domingo had randomly shown up here but thank God he did, and thank God for werewolf strength.

Austin might easily outpower a bunch of jock-ish humans, but one extremely jacked full grown werewolf against one teenage vampire wasn't quite an even fight. Almost, but not quite. Once Domingo had Austin he started dragging him away from Brian, where his stoner friends were converged around him seeming lost and confused. Me and Kate followed Domingo as he pulled the struggling Austin behind the parking lot and around some hedges towards the little courtyard area that people sometimes ate lunch at.

As we walked Kate randomly reached into my backpack and grabbed out a bottle of water. I didn't say anything though cause it didn't really seem that important at the moment. When we reached one of the picnic benches, Domingo stopped, probably to force Austin to sit and calm down. But before he could, Kate reached up on her tippy-toes and poured the entire bottle of water over Austin's head. He froze and his struggles halted when the cold water washed over his head, and Domingo immediately pushed him down on the bench. The water actually seemed to cool him off a bit - figuratively.

"Just sit the fuck down and chill the fuck out dude," Domingo said forcefully. Somehow whenever Domingo said 'dude' it somehow made what he said sound _more_ authoritive. Which didn't really make sense but still.

Austin unfroze, and seeming aggravated, shook out his wet hair like a dog after a bath.  
"What the hell," he snarled, pushing his wet bangs out of his eyes so he could affectively glare up at us.

"Just. Chill." Kate said.  
"Why the hell would you say that?" he demanded, "I did _that _for you. Actually - both of you." He gave me a meaningful look.

"And I appreciate that," she said, "But you took it to far. We thought you were going to kill him. You lost it back there."  
"I knew what I was doing," he muttered.

"You went totally psyco," I contradicted, sitting down next to him on the bench so he wouldn't feel like he was being singled out and lectured.  
"He deserved it," he muttered. I was suddenly given an unwelcome flash of the way I'd acted after Lisa M, the Shadow Slayer, had stabbed Ken and nearly killed him. I'd gone completely crazy - worse then Austin was - and tried to kill Lisa. It had taken a long time for them to talk me down then.

"I know," I said, "But you gotta chill now."  
"Yeah whatever," he mumbled.

"Good thing Domingo was here," Kate said, "Or else Brian would probably be in a coma."  
"Hey speaking of that," Austin said, "What the hell are you doing here man?"

Rembrance lit up Domingo's expression as if he'd just remembered why he was here in the first place. He reached into his pocket and handed something pink to Kate.  
"You left your cellphone in the car," he said.

"Ironic how often my forgetfulness saves our asses," she noted.  
"Not nearly as often as it nearly gets us killed," Austin muttered and I laughed.

"Well, I better be going," Domingo said, pecking Kate on the cheek. They exchanged 'I love you's' before Domingo gave Austin a 'behave' look, nodded at me, and was gone.  
"I better go too," Kate said, "You know, check to make sure no teachers are on the scene. It's times like this that make me thankful how the school is on a hill overlooking the parking lot. The teachers don't know anything that goes on down there. Anyway, Austin you stay here and chill out a bit. Becca, make sure he doesn't kill Brian . . .even though he does deserve it."

I nodded while Austin rolled his eyes and Kate walked away.  
"Well this is one eventful morning," I noted.  
"Yeah, one hell of a way to start out senior year . . ." he grumbled.

Hopefully that wasn't an omen . . .


	3. Born Like This

**Born Like This**

The first week of school totally sucked. Austin ended up getting suspended for fighting with Brian, so I'd been bored out of my mind. Monday and Tuesday of the second week sucked too because he was _still _suspended. Wednesday was worlds better though because he was finally back. School had been much better, but I was still glad to go back to the Kardigan's. Austin and I had gone out to our little pond in the woods for some peace and quiet.

Austin was leaning against a tree and working on all the work he'd missed the past week. I was lieing in the grass, my head resting against his side while I read a book for English class. It was so much easier to concentrate out here. It was so peaceful with only Austin and I around. For a moment, I closed my eyes just to rest my eyes from the past two hours of reading I'd been doing.

With my eyes closed, I listened to the sound of birds chirping and Austin breathing and the scribbling of his pen. I felt peaceful for a brief minute. Before I felt a hot stab at the back of my neck, an uncomfortable prickling, like electricity. I knew what that meant. Something was wrong.

"Austin," I said, my eyes flying opening.  
"Yeah babe?" he asked, totally relaxed.

"Something's wrong," I told him urgently, sitting up.  
"What is it?" he asked.

"I don't know . . . We have to get back to the house," I said. Sometimes I got visions and sometimes I just got feelings. The feelings were the worst because they could mean anything.  
"Let's go," he said, throwing his books on the ground and getting up. I got up too, put a speed spell on myself, and we both bolted. We ran through the woods, Austin always just a bit ahead of me. When we reached the Kardigan's backyard we burst into the backdoor and into a calm and completely empty living room.

"Mom! Kate! Domingo!" Austin called as we walked into the living room. Mrs. Kardigan descended the stairs gracefully like a petite blonde ballerina.  
"What is it?" she asked just as Kate and Domingo came in from the kitchen. Domingo had a hand on the small of Kate's back, steadying her.

"Something's wrong," I told them, "I felt something. And I don't know why . . . But I felt like I should just come here."  
"How do you know it's a bad something?" Kate asked.

"I don't. And it might not be bad. But it is important, I can tell."  
"I'm sure it's nothing," Kate assured.

"You don't know that," Mrs. Kardigan said.  
"Well maybe. But I mean, look around. Everything is perfectly - oh," she said, stopping suddenly and seeming surprised. She put a hand on her stomach and arched her back forward.

"Kate?" Domingo asked urgently.  
"Nothing . . . " she told him with a wave of a hand before making another face. "Oh . . . _oh._"

"What is it?" Mrs. Kardigan asked.  
"I think my water just broke," she said.

"Oh God," Austin muttered.  
"Get in the car," Mrs. Kardigan commanded.

So much for nothing.

We all rushed Kate into the crossover. Austin driving and me sitting up front with him. Domingo and Mrs. Kardigan sat in the back with Kate while she did those weird breathing exercises.  
"Contraction, contraction, contraction," she gasped.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Austin said, "Now is not a good time for a speeding ticket."  
"Oh really?" Kate asked sarcastically.

"Just breath Kate, just breath," Mrs. Kardigan soothed.  
Kate did as she was told, breathing . . . and yelling at Austin and Domingo every second in between. Austin for obeying the speed limit, and Domingo for knocking her up. Both were at fault. Well, sort of.

When we finally arrived, it was chaos. Mrs. Kardigan and Domingo were helping Kate out of the car while Austin bolted into the hospital. By the time we were all out of the car, Austin was back with a wheelchair. They sat Kate down in it and Domingo pushed her inside, with the rest of us all following behind. Once we got inside the hospital we were greeted by a doctor and a few nurses. Obviously Austin had told someone what was going on. Somehow I doubted they just gave out wheelchairs without a good reason.

A doctor wheeled Kate away and we followed him into the maternity ward. Outside her door, we were all stopped by a nurse.  
"Are you the father?" she asked Austin.

"Close. I'm her brother. Try again."  
"That would be me," Domingo said.

"Yes, come in," she said and he went.  
"I'm the mother," Mrs. Kardigan, "I'm going in." The nurse let her in.

"I'm the twin brother," Austin said, "And I'm sure as hell _not_ going in. I don't need my eyes to melt."  
"Same goes for me," I said.

We both walked away from the door as the nurse disappeared inside. There was a lot of wailing, some from Kate's room and some from other rooms. Austin and I went over to the chairs in the little cluster in the middle of the large hallway and sat down.

"I need to call my dad," he said, pulling out his cellphone. While he was on the phone, I drifted over to the large glass windows a few feet from me. Inside there were all the little newborn babies. I stared at them. They were all so little, so delicate, and innocent. Completely untouched by all the horror in the world. Unaffected.

"They're cute," came Austin's voice and I felt a hand on my shoulder.  
"Cute? They're adorable," I gushed, waving and smiling at a little dark skinned baby girl with a little bit of dark hair.

"Yeah . . ."  
"I mean, look how little and sweet they are," I said, waving at a little pale baby whose little identification card read _"Kevin." _

"I'm looking."  
"I bet Kate's baby will be even cuter," I said, "If that's even possible."

"We'll see in a few hours," he told me, "Vampire births are pretty quick, usually. Well, at least compared to the amount of time some human women are in labor."  
"That's good," I said.

Austin and I paced around for a while, talking and looking at the babies. After a little less then an hour, Mr. Kardigan showed up, straight from work.  
"They're in there," Austin told him, pointing to Kate's door, "If you want to go in."

"I think I'll hold off on that for now," he said.  
"We feel the same way," I said.

We hung around for a few more hours after that. Austin came with me to get some coffee from the cafeteria and we wandered around the gift shop. When we were back sitting in the maternity ward with Mr. Kardigan again, about three hours later, we sat down. Mr. Kardigan was on the phone with someone from work, I assumed, and Austin pulled out his phone and started clicking away.

"Who you texting?" I wondered.  
"Just updating my facebook," he said, "Gotta let everybody know that my sister's in labor."

"Tag me in that," I told him, "I'm too lazy to update mine to tell everyone where I am."  
"Okay," he said, "Hey do you think my sister having a baby is an acceptable excuse for not doing that history report?"

"Hmmm . . . yeah probably," I decided.  
"Good . . . you know, I actually would've done it too," he said.

"I believe you," I said, picking up an issue of _Cosmo _and flipping through the pages, mostly just looking at the pictures and rating people's outfits. After what felt like another hour, but was probably less then that, Mrs. Kardigan bounced out of the room. Her eyes were glowing excitedly.

"It's a girl!"


	4. Sing Into The Moonlight

**Kate's POV**

When they first handed me my baby, I was entranced by how gorgeous she was. She was perfect, perfect beyond belief. I couldn't find a single flaw in her if I tried. She was so tiny and delicate. Her skin was lightly tanned and felt so soft and warm when I touched it. She already had hair - a little patch of golden hair on the top of her head. Her face was adorable - slightly rounded and with dimples. Her big brown eyes were darkly lashed and stared up at me wonderingly. She was perfection, wrapped up in a pretty pink blanket.

"She's beautiful," I said, holding her tightly and smiling down at her.  
"She is," Domingo said, kneeling down next to me.

"I love her," I said, kissing her on the forehead and telling her, "I love you."  
"I love both of you," Domingo said, smiling.

"Can we come in?" came my mom's voice from outside the door. She'd gone to tell the others that we'd had a girl and stayed with them while things settled down in here a little more. I guess her mom instincts told her that her daughter (and her granddaughter) were ready for them. I wondered if I'd ever get that mom intuition. I thought so. How could I not know everything about my baby?

"Yeah, come see our new addition," I called as they all walked in. My mom and dad walked in together, smiling proudly. Becca and Austin followed, both of them were smiling too. But Becca had a strange light in her eyes that I couldn't quite understand. I couldn't tell what it was. Longing or amazement? Or maybe those were tears.

"She's so beautiful," my mom said as they all stood around us.  
"Stunning," my dad agreed.

"They're right. She looks nothing like you. You lucked out there," Austin said with a huge smile. I knew that he didn't intend for it to be an insult. Austin was just incapable of sentiment.  
"Shut up Austin," Becca said, swatting him, her eyes locked on us, "She looks just like her mother . . . and her father."

"Thanks guys," I said, smiling. I knew that both were compliments even if Austin's didn't sound like one.  
"Can I hold her?" my mom asked.

I didn't want to let her go, but I knew that I'd get her back soon enough. Besides, it would just hurt my mom's feelings if I said no. I mean, who would say no?  
"Sure," I said, as she leaned over to scoop her out of my arms, lifting my angel away from me. I was about to, paranoidly, tell her to be careful but realized there was no need. She'd had three kids; she knew what she was doing.

"We called Alex," my dad said, "He said he was coming up." My older brother had taken a bit of time to get used to the idea of me being pregnant, just like Austin, but he'd come around eventually. Last time we saw him, Easter, he'd been pretty okay with the whole thing . . . Austin had gotten extremely used to the idea. He'd even seemed excited about being an uncle. I was glad - I didn't like when we fought, at least not for real. Bantering was different.

"Cool," I said, aware that I didn't sound like a mother, "When will I be able to take her home?"  
"We talked to the doctor," he said, "They said tomorrow."

I nodded and my eyes flicked back up to my baby. I could only distantly hear Domingo and my dad talking about something and Becca whisper something to Austin. I was in my own little world, watching my mother cradle my baby in her arms. She was lightly rocking her, her face bent above her, crooning softly to her. I wanted to hold my baby so badly - being away from her didn't feel right. I needed her to be in my arms, to know that she was with me and that she was safe. And in that instant, for once in my life, I understood why my mom was such a pain in the ass sometimes. How she would bug me to be careful about things I thought silly, but now I got it. She just wanted me to be safe because she loved me as much as I loved my baby. I couldn't even imagine letting my baby out of my sight . . . let alone letting her go to school or go to the mall or go out on dates . . . How did my mother manage that? How did anyone manage that?

"Hey, are you going to let her grandfather hold her?" my dad asked.  
My mom smiled and carefully handed her to my dad. He smiled down at his granddaughter and spoke softly to her.

"Me next," Becca called.  
"I think her uncle should get to hold her next," Austin said.

"I think her own father should get to hold her," I chimed in.  
"No, Kate, it's all right. They can hold her first. I can wait. It's fine," he said but I knew he was lieing. He was doing that considerate thing again. I loved the guy to death but when he put others before himself it pissed me off. Sometimes. Other times it was hot. But right now it was annoying. He wanted to hold his baby, I could tell, and he deserved to.

"Not it's not. Someone give this man his daughter," I commanded.  
My dad laughed and walked over to the other side of the bed. Domingo got up and took his daughter from her grandfather. He held her and stared at her with the kind of love he'd only ever looked at me with. It made me smile. He loved her as much as I did - as much as I loved him and as much as he loved me.

I didn't feel the least bit of panic when Domingo held her. He was her father, not to mention extremely cautious and protective of everyone he cared about. I knew he wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. He would protect her.

We were talking and Domingo was holding the baby when someone knocked on the door.  
"Hello? Domingo? Kate?" came a familiar voice from outside.

"Come in," Domingo called as Yori, Domingo's younger sister, twirled into the room. She reminded me a lot of Domingo - well looks wise. Big brown eyes, dark hair, tan skin. Her spiky brown hair looked perfect and she was dressed nicely.

"Hi everyone. Where's my new neice?" she asked excitedly, dancing over to Domingo. She gave him a half hug from the side without disturbing the baby. She peered up at the her.  
"She's so beautiful!" she exclaimed, "Can I hold her?"

"Hey, first come, first served," Austin objected.  
"Damn - I mean darn. No need to ruin the baby all ready," she corrected herself, laughing. Domingo laughed too and walked over to Austin and handed him the baby carefully. He gave her to him easily enough, but the look in his eyes told me he was just as reluctant to give her up as I'd been.

"Support her head," I warned Austin. He didn't have a lot of experience with babies - well neither did I really. But I'd spent the last nine months trying to learn as much as possible.  
"I know how to hold a baby," he snapped at me before looking down at her and losing the aggression. He smiled down at his niece.

"She's so little . . ." he mumbled wonderingly, as if he couldn't believe that someone could be so tiny.  
"Most babies are," Becca said, but she was practically beaming. Probably proud that her boyfriend could hold a baby correctly. If they were smart though they wouldn't go barreling down that road too soon. I had no regrets about having my baby, especially after I'd seen her and held her. But those two weren't ready for a baby, in my eyes at least.

"Mom and dad are on their way," Yori told Domingo, "Dad had to get off from work."  
"When will they be here?" Domingo wondered.

"They just called before I came in. Said they had just left. Probably little less then an hour," she guessed.  
"Great," he said.

"Now can I hold her?" Becca whined.  
"Okay, okay," Austin said, handing my angel to Becca. I started to worry that all this moving around would upset her.

Becca seemed a little more experience with babies then Austin. She'd used to do a lot of babysitting for the neighborhood kids, I remembered. But she'd stopped that once her and Austin were dating. I guess she didn't want anything cutting into their time together. The lovey-dovey-ness would disgust me if I didn't feel the same way about Domingo, and now about my baby.

"What are you going to name her?" Yori wondered.  
"Well . . . " I said, "Domingo and I narrowed it down to two girls names the other day . . . I think I know which one fits her best but I wonder if he thinks the same."

"Which one did you pick?" Domingo wondered.  
"Luna," I said with a smile.

He smiled too. "My thoughts exactly. She looks like more of a Luna then an Alyce."  
"So Luna?" Austin asked.

"Yes," I said, "Luna Lyn Persipnei." Persipnei was Domingo's last name. We weren't married but we would be someday and our baby should at least have a traditional last name. Karodarus was of course a famous last name, but I always like Persipnei. It was so ringy. Per-seph-ini. I liked the way her full name sounded. Luna Lyn Persipnei.

My Luna.


	5. Hot Mess

**Hot Mess**

A week later, the following Friday, was the baby shower. It's Azimon tradition to have the baby shower a few days _after _the baby is born. But it's not the same as a human baby shower. An Azimon baby shower was more like a coming out party (sort of) where the parents introduced their baby to their friends and family. And of course, Luna's was going to be a huge deal of course. The tabloid's had once gleefully published article after article about Kate's pregnancy. And now that Luna was born the hype had started up again. Anybody who was anybody was going to be at the shower. It was a huge Azimon celebrity gathering. I usually tried to avoid these sorts of things - Austin was the one who forced to attend such events - but there was no way I was missing my godchild's (yes, Austin and I were the godparents!) party.

This was going to be the celebrity bash of the year. After all, it was being hosted by some of the top celebrities in the Azimon world. Kate had been ranked number six on _Immortal's _(the most popular magazine in the Azimon) _List of The Top Ten Biggest Azimon Celebrities. _Not to mention that I had been number two (but whose bragging) and Austin number one. So, some of the biggest celebrities were hosting it and all of the big names would be in attendance.

It was being held in _Ilithia Hall_. It was a big white stone building that was three stories and covered nearly an entire block of _Nyx Avenue_, which was basically like the Azimon equivalent of a Park Avenue or something. All the big super-expensive stores were there and all the posh penthouses.

My limo pulled up front around seven, a half an hour before the guests would arrive. Us family members (well I was the god mother and dating her uncle) had all planned to arrive early and separately to avoid the paparazzi that would surely swarm. Flanked by some body guards my father had set up for me (the paranoid bastard) I was let in by the bouncer like guy who had the guest list, without him even having to ask my name. I was just one of those people around here whose face everyone knew. It wasn't always a good thing.

Once I stepped inside I realized that Kate was right when she said this place was often using as a place for wedding receptions. It looked like it. There were hundreds of set tables with white table clothes on them and massive bouquets of pink and white roses. Pink balloons with the words _"Luna" _written in white lacy letters were in the corners and all over. A huge white banner was high on the opposite wall and had _"Luna Lyn Persipnei" _written on it.

All of those close to the family were already there. Mr. and Mrs. Kardigan were talking with Domingo's parents. Mr. Kardigan was wearing a suit and Mrs. Kardigan was wearing a long red gown. Domingo's parents reminded me of him faintly. His dad was muscly and had dark hair, but tanner skin then Domingo. His mother wasn't nearly as tan - she was probably a little paler then me - and had light brown hair. They were both dressed nicely - him in a suit and her in a dark purple dress.

Yori, Tora, and Alex were all talking off to the side. They were all dressed formally with drinks in their hands. Domingo, Ralph, Jupiter, Mars, and Diablo were all clustered together underneath the large "Luna" banner. They were all drinking and laughing. Kate, Austin, and Luna were nowhere to be found. I dismissed my bodyguards and went over to Domingo and them.

"Hey Becca," Diablo said.  
"Hey guys," I said. "Where's Kate?"

"Upstairs," Domingo said, nodding at the door to his left, "Getting Luna ready."  
"Cool . . . I'll be back," I said, opening the door and stepping into a stairwell. I walked up the first flight and ended up on a floor that I assumed didn't hold Kate. It was a dance floor with a DJ setting up. I went up the next flight and it seemed more likely that Kate was up here.

It was a smaller floor with white carpeting and pastel covered walls. There were cushioned benches and mirrors and doors so I assumed this was like some kind of dressing area. I tried the first door I saw.

"Kate?" I asked.  
"Come in," she called.

I walked into the little dressing room. There was a large full length mirror, changing table, a bassinet, and closet. A bouquet of flowers was on the vanity against the wall and everything was light pink. Kate was standing at the changing table. She looked surprisingly well for just giving birth last week. But I guess vampires recovered quickly from stuff like that. She looked world's thinner and if you didn't know better, you wouldn't think she'd ever had kids. She looked exactly the same as she used to. It must be a vampire thing. None of the vampire moms I knew looked like moms.

Kate was dressed in a long soft pink dress and had her blonde hair flowing around her. She was getting Luna ready but it seemed like she was almost done.  
"How's it going?" I wondered.

"Good . . . I'm just about done . . . There," she said, picking up Luna and craddling her. She was dressed in a long little dress that looked like a Christening gown, only light pink. She had a little piece of her blonde hair sticking up and tied with a little pink bow.

"She looks amazing," I told Kate.  
"Doesn't she?" Kate gushed.

"Defiantly," I said, "Excited for the party?"  
"Totally . . . I brought some of Luna's stuff up here so if it gets too hectic for her I can come up here with her."

"You really are a good mom."  
"Thanks . . . But it's pretty hard," she admitted, "I mean, half the time Luna's this little angel . . . But half the time I swear that she's the devil's spawn. I mean, the other night, she was up all night wailing. Which kept the whole house up. I swear Austin was about to jump out a window."

I laughed. "I'm sure it'll get easier."  
"No it won't," she said.

"Yeah . . . No it won't," I said with a smile.  
She smiled too. "If you're looking for Austin, he's in the bar."

"I wasn't looking for Austin."  
"Yeah . . . But you were going to be in about two minutes . . . So . . ." she said with a shrug.

I laughed. "Well I'll leave you with your pride and joy," I teased, heading for the door and pausing.  
I opened my mouth to ask Kate a question but she cut me off.

"Second floor," she said.  
"You're good," I allowed, "Are you sure you're not psychic?"

"I'm sure," she said, "Now go on and find Austin. I have to figure out a way to breast feed in this stupid dress . . ."  
"Uh okay, you do that," I said, slipping out the door and closing it behind me.

I descended the stairs to the second floor. Across the dance floor I saw a glass door and could see a nearly empty bar inside. I crossed the dance floor and walked inside. It was kind of dark in there - I could still see but it was kind of filtered grey light. Sitting at a bar stool with a glass in his hand was Austin, wearing a suit and watching the plasma screen above him.

"Hey," I said, sitting down next to him and kissing him briefly.  
"What's doin?" I wondered.

He gestured to the TV with his drink, "Just watching the guests arrive," he said.  
I looked up at the TV and realized that it showed a reporter out front of our building as limos and sports cars arrived.

_"I'm Brizo Minerva," _said the report who seemed to be a pixie, _"And I'm coming to you live from __Ilithia Hall where the celebration of baby Luna is about to begin. Daughter of Hekate Karodarus and Domingo Persipnei. Domingo was, and still is, the bodyguard of Hekate's twin brother, Prince Austeralgo. Prince Austeralgo hasn't been spotted in Hades for several weeks and has said to have been absent since the last two Council meetings. His girlfriend, Princess Aella, also hasn't been spotted in Hades recently either. Not since three weeks ago when the princess was seen at the popular night club, Fangs, intoxicated and acting out. All of these people are in attendance for tonight's celebration, but it is assumed that they are all ready inside, as to avoid any media contact." _

_"Guests are arriving in absolute floods. It's hard to keep track of all the big names here tonight_," she continued as the camera zoomed in on the arriving celebrities, _"Aurai Gemini, the pixie representation on the Council, has just arrived, sporting a very flattering forest green dress. And movie star, Hoari Iris, who has just gotten back from promoting her new movie, _Titan Goddess, _has just arrived, wearing a stunning Juventa Original. And here is Notus Erato, heir to the Erato Restaurant fortune, joined by several of Hades biggest models; Athena Martinez, Magna Idaea, and Doris Dyrad. And here is Nortia Mors, author of the bestseller _Bloodlust_. Next to arrive appears to be General Oddyseus, accompanied by socialite Rhea Celaino." _

"Ew," I muttered, "Who invited the General?"  
"Everyone's coming," Austin said with a shrug, "Council members are just an assumed."

"Ugh," I groaned.  
"It won't be so bad," he assured me, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder, "You'll have plently of famous people you have to meet anyway." I sighed and turned back to the TV.

_"Oh and here is our very own King Zephorous," _she said, going over to the red carpet, approaching my father as he came out of the limo and put the microphone underneath his mouth. _"King Zephorous, do you have anything to say about tonight's celebration." _

_"Only that we're all very excited to meet Hekate's daughter," _he said; the perfect answer. It was obvious that he'd been in the public eye for a long time.  
_"Do you have anything to say about the aligations regarding your daughter's recent behavior?" _

_"Yes. I'd liketo say that my daughter is just being a normal teenager. The only reason people are making a big fuss over this is because she is a princess. That is irrelivant."  
"Anything else Zephorous?" _

_"No . . . No that's all," _he said, disapearing inside.  
_"Oh and look here comes Prima's limo," _she continued as my mother stepped out of her limo. She was dressed in a blood red gown with her hair falling around her. Right after her, Vitani hopped out. She was dressed in a short black velvet dress with faint black intricate designs. _"Oh and here is Prima, in one of her few public appearences. And her daughter Vitani, Zephorous' ilegitimate child and unofficial princess." _

_"Prima, Prima," _the reporter said, coming up to my mom and Vitani, _"Tell us. Do you find it disgraceful that your goddaughter is having a baby at such a young age?"  
_My mom was Kate's godmother. I knew that she was Austin's godmother but I didn't know she was Kate's too. Odd . . .

_"Of course not. Hekate makes her own choices. If she loves this man and wants to have his child then she can. I'm proud of her choice to keep her baby actually," _she said.  
_"So leave us alone," _Vitani added before the two of them strutted off.

I laughed. "C'mon," I said, getting up.  
"Yeah . . . Let's go meet and greet," Austin said, throwing down the rest of his drink and getting up.

"Goodie goodie gumdrops . . ." I muttered and Austin laughed as we slipped out the door and across the dance floor to the first floor. People were flooding in and were gathered all over, talking and laughing and drinking and probably schmoozing.

"Oh God," I mumbled. I wasn't used to these modern celebrity parties. I didn't know most of the famous people here.  
"Don't worry," Austin stage whispered to me, putting a hand on the small of my back, "I'll walk you through it."

"Oh Austin," came a gushing voice as we turned to face a woman and a man approaching us. The woman appeared to be a shape-shifter and the man possibly a witch.  
"Artemis Turan and her husband Khaos. He runs one of the largest blood market chains in the Azimon and she owns her own langerie line," he whispered to me as they approached us.

"Austin!" the woman gushed, doing that french cheek kissing thing.  
"Good to see you Arty," he said, shaking her husband's hand, "You two Kay. This is Aella."

"Oh Aella!" Artemis (or 'Arty') said, reaching out to vigiriously shake my hand, "It's so nice to meet you! I've heard so much about you!"  
"All good things I hope," I said and Austin gave me a smile to tell me that I was doing good.

"Mostly," she said with a smile.  
"Thought it'd be like that," I said with a smile, pretending to be okay with that.

"Oh Aggy! Aggy!" Arty squealed. "I'll talk to you guys later. . .Aggy!"  
Khaos smiled indulgently at us before following his wife off to go talk to more people.

"Good job," Austin told me as he guided me over to a waiter with a tray of cocktails, "But Artemis and Khaos are easy. Not malicious like some of the people you'll meet."  
"I think I can handle it," I said, taking a drink, "I can play with the big boys."

He laughed and rolled his eyes, taking a drink. "Well I hope you're right. Because here comes Odysseus and Rhea. They're a real test. You already know that Odysseus sucks royally but you haven't even met Rhea yet. She's one _bitchy _social climbing heiress. Be careful."

"Austeralgo," Odysseus said stiffly, shaking Austin's and then my hand, "Aella."  
"Nice to see you Odysseus," I said the obvious lie.

"Likewise," he said, "Aella, this is Rhea. Rhea, meet Aella."  
"So nice to meet you," she said in a sneerish voice. She was a pretty werewolf with long dark straight hair and tan skin.

"So nice," I agreed fakly.  
"So where have you two been?" Odysseus wondered, "Haven't seen you at the Council meetings."

"We've been busy," Austin jumped in.  
"Oh . . . You missed our discussion about you the other day," Odysseus sneered at me.

"Oh . . . Austin told me _all _about it," I hissed.  
"Oh really?" he asked hatefully.

"Yeah . . . I don't understand what the big fuss is," I said, pretending to be clueless, "All I did was go to a party and get a little drunk."  
"I see that we might be in for a repeat," he said, nodding to the drink in my hand, "I think you better keep an eye on her Austeralgo."

"Odysseus," Austin growled in a warning voice.  
"You wanna know what I think Odysseus?" I asked sweetly.

"What do you think?" he asked in a patronizing voice.  
"I think you should go to hell you sexist fucktard!" I shouted, throwing my drink in his face.


	6. Paralyzer

**Paralyzer**

"Oh Becca," Austin mumbled mournfully. I realized that I shouldn't of done that seconds after it happened. I was expecting a bunch of people to cry out in shock and distaste. But only a few people around us even seemed to notice it. A few them looked surprised, some like they expected as much of me, and some even stiffled laughed.

"Oh look honey," Austin said in a purposely projecting voice to our mini audience, "There's Juventa . . . Let's go say hi."  
Quickly, he led me away from the stunned Oddyseus.

"Are you freaking crazy?" he demanded of me.  
I just shrugged and placed my empty glass on a waitress' tray, exchanging it for a full one. "He pissed me off," I said. ". . . Sexist bastard."

"Yes, yes, we all hate Oddyseus," he agreed, "But you don't see me throwing champagne in his face."  
"Well . . . You clearly never had a reason to be as angry with him as me," I said with another shrug.

"Uh . . . excuse me?" he asked, putting one of his blue burned wrists in front of my face. It was the older scar, the one he got when he was a baby. It was a dark teal color and spiked up like a flamed tattoo. The awful General Oddyseus had made him burn himself when he was just four years old and again last year.

"Oh right," I recalled, "Sorry. I guess you do have a good reason for being angry with him."  
"And yet I've never thrown a drink in his face . . ." he trailed off.

I laughed a little. "Well you should. Remember the time he slapped you."  
"Not really . . . But thanks so much for reminding me," he said sarcastically.

"Austin!" came a female's voice. Although somehow it didn't sound like any of the celebrity chick's voices. Somehow, it seemed more like a normal person - less stuck up.  
"Alala?" he asked seeming surprised as a tiny werewolf girl approached us. She was small with tanned skin and a halo of dark spikey hair. She was wearing a short loose black dress with spagheti straps and ballet flats. She looked oddly familiar.

"Alala!" Austin said, seeming pleasntly surprised. The little werewolf danced towards him and wrapped her arms around him in a familiar way, both of them laughing happily. It wasn't like with the other chick celebrities who were all buddy-buddy kiss-kiss whatever. This girl really truly knew Austin. I felt like I knew her too . . . Or at least a little bit.

"Oh Austin," she said, taking a step back from him but keeping her hand on his shoulder, "I haven't seen you since you were a baby! I see you on TV and in magazines and on the news everywhere I go. But I haven't seen _you _since you were four years old! You look so different!"

He laughed. "I would hope so . . . And you look so . . . The same."  
She laughed. "I can't believe it's been . . . Nearly fourteen years," she continued, "I was over the Prima's when you were sick. I left before you woke up though."

"That's too bad," he said, "I would've loved to see you."  
"Me too . . . It's been so long. You know, I'm always seeing you on TV and whatever. But in my mind I always picture you as the little boy who put my cellphone in the freezer and would scribble all over my homework. Granted, telling my teacher that Prince Austeralgo drew on my homework was a hard sell until your mom let me bring you into my class to prove to my teacher that I was your babysitter."

"Wait? You brought me into your class?" he asked with a bemused smirk. "How?"  
"Let me see . . . I was in eighth grade. . .I was about fourteen which means you were two . . . One night you'd scribbled all over my algebra homework while I was trying to get Kate to take her bottle. I told my teacher what happened but she didn't believe me. So the next day when I came over to your house I was in a bad mood and your mom asked what was wrong. So I told her and she said that we could just bring you in. So the next day we put you in your stroller and your mom came with me. Oh you should've seen their faces when I walked into class with adorable little Prince Austeralgo. Even back then all the girls were all over you . . . They all just thought you were _so_ cute."

I laughed. "Even back then you were a player . . . Why am I not surprised," I teased.  
Alala looked at me curiously like she hadn't noticed me. I couldn't blame her. I hadn't said a word.

"Oh, wow, I'm a moron," Austin said, "Alala this is Becca."  
"I know who Princess Aella is, Austin," she told him with an eye roll, reaching out to shake my hand with a smile, "Besides, we've met once before."

"That's right," I recalled, "At my mother's."  
"Yeah . . . I had to leave pretty quickly," she said. "I was going to go back but I never liked the Council. I remember when I first met him. Oh Becca, I think you'd like to hear this story. Okay, so I was about . . . thirteen. I'd just started babysitting for the Karodarus'. I think they wwere at a show and I was watching the twins. It was late and I'd already put them both to bed and was just watching TV. But then Austin woke up and was crying so I got him a bottle. While I was feeding him someone rung the doorbell and I think Domingo got to it before any of the maids. A few members of the Council were there, wanting to talk to Hera and Vulcan. We told them they weren't home and they were gonna leave but then they saw that you were up so they came in to say hello. While they were hovering around you, you just grabbed the bottle out of my hand and chucked it at Zephorous. It hit him right in the forehead and blood just got all over him."

I burst out laughing. "I thought we didn't throw drinks at people when we were angry Austin?"  
"Yeah . . . But I was a twelve months old and you're nearly eighteen. In this life," he said.

Alala laughed. "I thought you'd like to hear that story."  
"How'd did you know?" I wondered.

"I heard your little argument," she said.  
"Somehow I have a feeling I would _love _exchanging stories with you," I said.

"You two have fun with that," Austin said, "I'm gonna get another drink."  
"It's so weird for me to see my little Aussie drinking and partying," Alala said, "Like I said, I still imagine you as throwing your sippy cup at me and setting your sister's dolls on fire."

I snickered at the thought of that. "Wait - You call him Aussie too?"  
"Please, I was the first person to come up with that now famous nickname," she said smugly.

"So it's _your _fault," he accused, "And here I was blaming the media all this time."  
We both laughed.

"Oh look, here comes your mother," Austin said, nodding to where my mother was attempting to approach me. Every few steps she was stopped by another socalite or heiress or governor.  
"I better go save her," I said.

Austin snorted. "Like she needs saving. That woman scares the hell out of me."  
"She scares the hell out of everyone," I told him before scampering off to see my mother.

"Hi mom," I said.  
"Oh Aella," she said, "It's so wonderful to see you. You look lovely."

"You too," I told her.  
"Actually honey. There's something I wanted to talk to you about," she said.

"Yeah, sure, fire away," I said, taking a sip of my chamgane.  
"I think it's about time you and Austeralgo got married."

I choked on my drink. "WHAT!"


	7. Cheated

**Cheated**

"Aella?" my mother asked.  
I coughed and spluttered for a moment. "Ugh marriage?" I repeated in shock after I calmed myself.

"Yes. It only seems right now," she said primly.  
"But . . . We're so young!" I exclaimed. "And I want the humans in my life to be able to see me get married."

"Then we can have the wedding in the human world," she said easily.  
"But - but everyone will think I'm _pregnant. _I mean, why else would I randomly decide to get married in the middle of senior year?"

"Why does it matter what they think?" she asked.  
"It's not what they think . . . It's what they'll say," I edited.

"Once again I say, why does it matter?"  
"Okay, so pretending that it _doesn't _matter for a breif moment, let's move onto another problem. Um that's soooo not romantic. You guys forcing me and Austin into marriage. So the love of my life will never propose to me for real? That's totally unfair. I bet dad proposed to you of his own free will."

"Yes. And now we're divorced. Look how well that worked out."  
"You only got divorced because I died. Well, look, I'm alive now," I told her, "So maybe the marriage_ would_ have lasted."

"There's no way of telling though, now is there?"  
"Mom. Austin and me want to get married on our own terms, capiche?" I asked.

"Aella," she began but was cut off when there was suddenly a rush of applause. I stood on my tippytoes and got a brief glance of Kate and Luna walking in.  
"Ladies and gentlemen," came Mr. Kardigan's projecting voice, "Please welcome the newest member of the Karodarus family, Luna Lyn Persipini."

More applause broke out as Kate, with Luna held protectivly to her chest, strode through the parting in the crowd towards us.  
"We'll talk about this later," my mom hissed quietly under her breath as Kate approached us with a huge smile on her face. Silently, she handed baby Luna to me in the traditional passing of the baby to their godparents.

I smiled and cooed at Luna as people "aw'd" and "ooh'd."  
"May I hold my goddaughter?" came Austin's voice as he suddenly materialized where my mother had been standing. I smiled and handed Luna to Austin. He smiled at her and blinked rapidly from the many flashing camera lights. This was supposed to be a closed event - as in _no _paparazzi on the inside - but apparently people still wanted pictures. I wasn't sure if the celebrities wanted the pictures for themselves or if they were going to sell them to magazines. Not that they needed the money or anything so . . .

After a moment, Austin handed Luna back to Kate who was standing next to the newly appeared Domingo. The happy couple then began an entourage around the room, letting other people hold Luna and fawn over her. That poor baby was going to be exhausted.

"Care to sit down for dinner my love?" Austin asked with mock formality, holding out his arm.  
"Why certainly," I said with the same mock tone, linking arms with him.

Laughing lightly, we walked over to our table and sat down. We were the only one's there for the moment.  
"So what do you plan on having?" he wondered as I examined the little menu card in front of me.

"It all sounds . . . Very fancy," I mumbled.  
"Which translates into very disgusting?" he checked, raising an eyebrow, "Right?"

I rolled my eyes at him.  
"What? I'm a vampire. I don't eat. How am I supposed to know?"

"Okay then, fine," I said, "Yes. Most fancy food is disgusting."  
"Well I know what I'm having . . ." he mumbled.

"Let me guess. It's definelty a beverage considering you don't eat solid food . . . So either alcohol or blood."  
"Blood for now," he said, "Feeling kind of tired since I haven't fed from you in a few days . . ."

"Well I'm _sorry_. But I've been busy lately. School, homework, dance. Not to mention helping Kate with Luna. So I'm sorry but I've been too tired to feed you."  
"Oh shut up," he said, lightly shoving my shoulder, "And you've been busy? _I've_ been busy. School, homework, make-up work, football . . . Not to mention that there's a newborn baby keeping my entire family up all night. Plus I haven't had fresh blood in days."

"Eh. Drink your donated blood and shush up," I told him with a dismissive hand wave.  
"Oh. So callous," he said, putting a hand over his heart mockingly, "You wound me."

I laughed lightly as two people approached the table. One of them was the petite Vitani, even smaller then Kate, not to mention about three years younger. She had chin length, straight blonde hair with the tips dyed black. She was wearing a short black velvet dress with a ballerina like skirt. Her pale and pretty face had a smile on her pink lips. She was attached to the side of a black suite wearing Athan. He had his shaggy brown hair slightly fixed. His blue eyes shone out of his tan face and he was smiling.

"Hello sis," Vitani said, "Mind if we join you two lovebirds?"  
"You're at our table?" I asked.

"You make that sound like it's a bad thing," she said as the two of them sat down across from us.  
"Not at all," I said sarcastically although I actually meant what I'd said.

"Who else will be joining us this fine evening?" Austin asked.  
"Hmm. Your parents, your brother, Kate, Domingo . . . Their little bundle of joy of course . . .Rosette and Ken and uh. . ." Vitani tried to remember.

"Attis and Ornella," Athan reminded her.  
Her cheeks turned a bright pink at the mention of Attis. "Oh yeah, oh right," she mumbled.

"Whose Ornella?" I wondered.  
"Nellie," Athan said, "She's apart of the coven. She's dating Attis."

"I wasn't aware that he was over Vitani," Austin teased, "It's about time he stopped pining over you Vittie. It was just sad."  
Vitani and I shared a meaningful look. She silently warned me not to do anything stupid that could possibly jepordize her mini affair with Attis. I say mini because she's fourteen.

"He's a lot easier to deal with now," Athan said, "Now that he's not hitting on and or threatining my girlfreind all the time."  
Vitani smiled uneasily as Athan put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"Hello little sister," came Ken's voice, "I'm seeing you more and more now."  
"Hi Ken . . . Rose," I said as him and Rosette came over to our table. Rosette was wearing a stunning sprakly white dress and Ken had a suit on.

"Good to see you Becca," Rose said, "Austin."  
"What? We don't get hello's?" Vitani asked.

"We live with you," Ken reminded her as they sat down.  
"And boyfriend over there is over the house practically every day . . . Eating our food," Rose added.

"Well forgive me for not allowing my boyfriend to starve to death," Vitani said, squezzing his arm.  
"If only Becca had your mentality," Austin said with a fake dreamy sigh, eyeing me.

"Shut up," I told him, shoving his shoulder.  
"Greetings to all," came a familiar, cocky voice. That sounded like a deeper version of Vitani's.

The fair haired, pale skinned, handsome, green eyed Attis approached us with a girl on his arm. She looked around his age - fifteen or so. She was taller then Vitani, I noted, and around Attis' height. She was thin and very pretty but in a different way then Vitani. She was tall and curvy with long black hair and tanned skin. She had red lips and dark, almond shaped eyes.

"Greetings to douche bag," Vitani said.  
"Hey, this is my neice's baby shower," Austin said, "No vulgar language."

"Austeralgo is right," Attis said, the two of them pausing behind Vitani and Attis, looking at us.  
Austin took a sip of his champagne. "Don't call me that, fucktard," he said, which caused me to stifle a giggle. Oh how I loved the word 'fucktard.'

Our table laughed, mostly at the irony of how he was cursing now.  
"Well, ignoring that, everyone. This is Nellie," Attis said, gesturing to his date. The exotic looking, raven haired, almond eyed, red form fitting dress wearing beauty with the faint smile.

"Hi everyone," she said sweetly.  
There were mumbled greetings as the two of them sat down. Right next to Vitani of course. I noticed Attis give Vitani a sideways glance and winked at her. She winked too and blushed slightly. I gave her a warning look to let her know that the two of them should tone it down a bit.

"God this baby shower will be the death of me," said Mrs. Kardigan as her and her husband sat down at the edge of the table. Mr. Karodarus was at the head and his wife was on his right side. Rose happened to be on his left.

"Tired Mommy?" Austin asked in a sarcastic voice.  
"Don't get smart with me," she warned.

He just smiled like a guilty little boy and Mrs. Kardigan couldn't seem to resist smiling back.  
"Somebody's just taking advantage of his new status as Mommy's favorite," came Alex's voice as he sat down. Alala was with him, surprisingly and sat down too.

"New status?" Austin asked, "I've always been the favorite."  
"Only because you're the baby," Alex corrected.

"By like two minutes," he said.  
"Well when your practically the youngest and your twin sister is pregnant, you're defiantly the favorite," Alex said.

"He makes a good point," Alala agreed.  
"I think I'm going to pass out," came Kate's voice. Domingo had an arm around her shoulders and she was carrying a baby carrier with a sleeping Luna in it.

"You? If another person asks me how I landed Hekate Karodarus I'm going to pop them one in the mouth," Domingo said as the two of them sat down. Domingo sat at the other head of the table, across from Mr. Karodarus. Kate sat on his right, across from Rose and placed Luna's carrier on the floor between them. Kate was sitting next to me.

I laughed. "Someone's reached their breaking point?" I asked. Domingo did seem like he was at the end of his rope. He had bags under his eyes and looked kind of worn.  
"Well now that I've moved in with the Karodarus' Luna's been keeping me up all night," he said, "Not to mention that all these celebrities treating me like I'm a guard dog is kind of pissing me off."

"You know, I wouldn't judge you if you _did _punch one of them . . ." I said.  
"Yeah we heard about you throwing a drink on Oddyseus," Kate said.

"You did what?" Vitani asked, pulling herself away from the conversation she seemed to have been having with Athan.  
"I threw my drink on Oddyseus because he was being a sexist jerk," I told her nonchantaly as a waitor appraoched us.

"What can I get you?" he asked.  
"B positive," Kate said automatically, "And some O positive in a bottle for the baby."

So nasty . . .

The waitor just nodded and moved on. He took everyone's order and departed. While we waited for dinner we chatted and drank champagne and nibbled on breadsticks. When the food arrived I was ravenous. I dug into my surprisingly good lemon flavored chicken and noodles. While Austin downed at least three glasses of blood - he really was thirsty. I was enjoying my meal until I noticed the mashed potatoes on Attis' plate. I loved me some mashed potatoes.

"Ooh. Can I have some of those?" I asked, leaning across the table and taking a forkful off his plate before he could even answer.  
"Um sure," he said as Vitani gave me a warning look . . . Like somehow I was threatening her terriotory by stealing food from her boy toy.

"I have to go use the ladies' room," Vitani said suddenly, waggling her eyebrows meaningufully at Attis before getting up and leaving. I was sure that someone who didn't know their secret wouldn't have noticed all these subtle hints. But since I was looking for them, I found them eveywhere.

A few moments later, Attis suddenly excused himself to go to the bathroom. I seemed to be the only one who noticed that they'd both been gone for a little too long. I excused myself then and went to go look for them. I looked in the fancy ladies' room and found that they weren't in there. But there was no way I was looking in the men's room. Especially here. I sighed as I left the bathroom and then noticed a room with a gold plate announcing that it was the coatroom. Suddenly I thought of something and impulsively went over to it and opened it.

I wasn't surprised to find Vitani and Attis making out inside.


	8. Haunted

**Vitani's POV**

"Vitani!"

Attis and I jumped apart in surprise and panic. My back slammed into the wall and I looked up to see Becca standing in the doorway. She had on her short silky navy dress with the billows on one side held up with a bow. Her curly brown hair was pulled up into a bun but some strands were starting to fall out. Her blue eyes were glowing angrily.

I put a hand on my chest as I tried to slow my heart rate. "Jesus Christ Becca! You nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you were someone important!"  
"Thanks," she snorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh you know what I mean," I said.  
"Yeah I do," she said, "You thought I was somebody who _didn't _know you were cheating on your boyfriend. Like . . .Everyone but me."

"And Kate," I reminded her.  
"Not the point," she said, her eyes darting over to Attis, "You two need to stop this."

I looked over at Attis. He was bracing himself against the wall, seeming like he was calming down. His hair was all messed up and he was panting, just like I was. Becca had nearly given me a heart attack. I thought she might be Athan . . . Or worse, a parasite with a camera. Wouldn't that just be fucking lovely? Sometimes, I really just hated my life. It wasn't like I _enjoyed _being in love with two guys at once. I hated knowing that if Athan ever found out it would destroy him. But I couldn't help but have feelings for Attis. And I knew that, whenever he saw me with Athan, it hurt him too.

"You can't tell us what to do," I snarled at her.  
"No . . . But I can blackmail you," she reminded me.

I growled. "Yeah, but you won't. Or I'll make your life hell and you know it," I threatened.  
"I'm serious Vitani," she said, "This isn't right."

Attis came to life then. "It's none of your business _Aella_," he hissed venomously, "This has nothing to do with you."  
"Like hell it doesn't you little punk!" she exclaimed, "I can't even believe you . . . Sneaking around with your friend's girlfriend . . . That's low."

"Go away," I snarled darkly, anger bubbling inside me. She couldn't talk to Attis like that . . . He was _mine_.  
"Excuse me?" she asked, seeming surprised.

"Go away," I repeated, glowering, "_Right now_."  
"If I can't tell you what to do . . . Then you can't tell me what to do," she said, looking stubborn.

"Leave," I commanded darkly. I felt so angry . . . Surprisingly angry considering the situation. I didn't care though . . . I was just blindly angry.  
"Vitani . . . We need to talk about this," she insisted.

"I said _leave!_" I screamed, grabbing the metal pole that ran across the closet and yanking it down effortlessly. All of the coats fell to the ground.  
Slowly and cautiously, with her hand's raised, Becca backed away. She closed the door behind her.

Attis turned to look at me, seeming concerned by my sudden outburst. His bright green eyes were apprehensive.  
"Vitani . . . You alright?" he asked.

"Alright?" I laughed even though it wasn't funny. "Alright? Yeah, I'm fucking terrific."  
"Ugh maybe we should go back," he said mildly.

"We'll go back," I hissed, moving at vampire speeds so that I was right in front of him, "When _I _say so."  
My anger at Becca made me feel the need to assert my dominance. I didn't like people telling me what to do . . . Not Becca, not my mom, not even Attis. I had to take crap from my mom and sometimes from Becca, but I refused to have my boyfriend (either of them) tell me what to do. Everybody else was always telling me what to do . . . But when it came to relationships, I was in charge. Refusal just wasn't an option.

I pushed Attis back up against the wall, ignoring his startled expression. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down to kiss me. I crushed my mouth against his, noting but not caring about how surprised he seemed. I didn't care though. I reached up and knotted my fingers into his hair, pulling at the blonde locks. He flinched slightly from how rough I was being . . . I was never exactly 'gentle' with anyone but I'd never been so outwardly violent towards him.

My lips moved down from his mouth to his neck, where I started sucking and biting on the skin there. I wasn't planning on actually _biting _him until my fangs broke skin. I'd never drank Attis' blood before . . . Or Athan's. I just didn't. They weren't my Blood Donors . . . They were my boyfriends. I wasn't a full blown vampire . . . I didn't need as much blood as a normal vampire. . .Only like once a week, usually from the blood market.

But right then, tasting witch blood I was surprised. It was nearly as good as vampire blood. It wasn't quiet as thick or deep as human blood . . . But it was so sugary sweet that I actually felt energized before I even swallowed. I continued sucking the blood out of his neck, ignoring Attis' faint protests. I was too consumed in drinking to pay him any mind. Until he tried to push me away, but he wasn't strong enough. I was part vampire, no normal witch could push me away. Not Attis, not Athan, not Becca, and not even my mother. Sure, they had magic just like me . . . But Attis obviously wasn't thinking straight enough to use magic.

When he tried to push me away, I grabbed his wrists and pinned them against the wall. He continued to struggle against me feedbly for a while but they eventually cut off. He was mumbling but I wasn't paying attention. Eventually, something in my head clicked and I knew that I had to stop. I tried to but I couldn't stop. I just had to keep drinking . . . I just had to. Until I finally gathered all my willpower and was able to pull away from him. When I realased him he slid down to the floor like my hands had been the only thing holding him up.

I took a step away, staring at him in mortification. He was slumped on the ground, breathing hard with his head lolled back against the wall.  
"What the . . . what the fuck was that Vittie?" he demanded, gasping for breath.

"I - oh my God - I, I, I'm so sorry," I stuttered, backing away from him in shock, "I don't know what . . ."  
He picked up his head a bit to look at me, his eyes were rolling lazily in their sockets. He was probably going to pass out. "Are you okay?" he asked me.

"I-I don't know what came over me," I tried to explain, "I just don't-"  
I tripped over one of the fallen coats then and fell back. I landed on my ass with a yelp, my back slamming against the wall hard. I sat there, staring at Attis. He was blinking dizzily and seemed to be struggling to keep his head up.

"Vitani," he mumbled, "Are you . . . Are you alright?"  
"No . . . No . . . " I said, tears streaming down my face as I shook my head back and forth. "This is God's way of punishing me . . . By making me crazy."

"You're not . . .You're not crazy," he told me, letting his head fall back against the wall.  
"Yes I am!" I cried, "I am . . . I am. I'm crazy. I don't know how to be happy anymore! I'm angry _all the time_! Either angry at Aella . . . Or my mom . . . But mostly, I'm just angry at myself . . . For being in love with two people at the same time."

"That's not . . . That's not your fault," he murmured.  
"Yes it is!" I screamed, "This is my punishment . . . For being such a bad person . . ."

Attis didn't respond, so I assumed that he'd passed out. But I didn't stop.  
"I'm a horrible person!" I sobbed, "I hurt people I care about . . . I hurt everybody!"

Crying, I grabbed my arm and dug my nails into it. It was hard enough to draw blood. I dug them in harder.  
"I hate myself!" I screamed, not caring if anybody else heard me.

"Now I know there is a God," I cried, "And he _hates _me."


	9. Bleed It Out

**Little annoyed w/ the lack of reviews on the last chapter . . . It's ironic actually . . . Like the sixth chapter i just threw it together w/o really trying n I got a ton of reviews . . . And then I gave the last chapter a lot of thought n i got like 5 . . . Oh the irony. Kind of annoyed anyway . . . Aware that I don't update very often but can u blame me wen i'm busy all the time n my work isn't rewarded? Yeah, I'll admit, I'm a review whore . . . I just LOVE reviews, seriously. Anyway, this chapter is back to BECCA'S POV even tho that shud b obvious. The only time it's not Becca's POV is when I say it isn't. Anyway, enjoy :)**

* * *

**Bleed It Out**

I'd gone back to the table after Vitani had yelled at me to leave. I tried to act normal, and I was pretty sure I succeeded. Until Athan started wondering where Vitani was, which made Nellie make note of how Attis had been gone a while. I immediately offered to go look for them, making up a vague excuse about how they probably ran into someone they knew. Austin gave me a curious look as I speed walked away from the table and back to the coat closet. I expected to find them making out again, but I was very very wrong.

Both of them were sitting on the floor, across from each other. Attis was slumped against the wall, his head flopping back. His eyes were closed and there was a bleeding wound on his neck. Vitani was also up against a wall, crying violently. Her knees were pulled up to her chest while her hand clasped her other arm tightly. She was crying violently, sobbing brokenly. My eyes widened as I realized what must've happened. Vitani had drank Attis' blood.

"Oh my God," I exclaimed, rushing over to Attis first. Vitani was my sister but Attis was bleeding and unconscious; he was a priority.  
I ran over to Attis and grabbed his limp hand. I placed two fingers against his wrist to check his pulse. It seemed a little low to me.

"Attis," I said, lightly shaking his shoulder, "Attis, can you hear me."  
He didn't respond in any way.

"Vitani," I hissed, whipping my head around to look at her, "What did you do to him?"  
I already knew what, but I needed her to talk to me.

She just sniffed and continued to cry.  
"Vitani," I growled, "Tell me what happened."

"I-I-I didn't mean to," she chocked, "I didn't mean to-to-to hurt him . . . I don't know what happened . . .I just . . . I just." She sucked in a shaky breath and continued to sob.  
"Vitani," I said, trying to be firm, "Tell me how long you were drinking."

"I-I-I don't know," she sobbed, "I just lost it . . ."  
I groaned. "Okay, Vitani," I said urgently, "I'm going to go get Rose . . . You stay here with Attis . . . But don't go near him. Leave him be."

She nodded weakly, biting on her lip as tears fell from her cheeks. I got up and quickly ran from the closet. People stared at me as I swerved through them all. When I reached the table I was panting, grabbing and pulling on Rosette's arm.

"Becca? What's going on?" Ken demanded.  
"You okay?" Austin asked worriedly.  
"What's wrong?" Rose asked.

"It's Attis," I gasped out, "Vitani bit him and he's unconscious."  
"Let's go," Rose said, as her, Ken, and Austin jumped up.

"Vitani?" Athan repeated, getting up.  
I nodded regretfully as Nellie also got up. How could I tell them what really happened without mentionining how Vitani was cheating on Athan?

"Wait - what's going on?" Kate asked.  
"Vitani bit Attis," I said, "C'mon, Rose, we have to go."

"Gotcha," she said, "Lead the way."  
So I led the little group to the hall closet, hoping we wouldn't attract a lot of attention but knowing that we would.

When I opened the door to the closet the scene was exactly the same. Rose, Athan, Nellie, and I went in. But Austin put his arm up to prevent Ken, Kate, and Domingo from entering. We didn't need it getting too crowded in there. Rose, Nellie and I tended to Attis, of course, while Athan went to Vitani. Rose crouched down in front of him while Nellie and I dropped to our knees next to her.

"Attis," she murmured softly, brushing her fingers over his neck and closing her eyes, "Attis can you hear me."  
She didn't get a response.

"Attis, honey, can you hear me?" she asked in a gentle voice, crinkling her forehead slightly.  
Again, he didn't answer. He did tilt his head a little to the side, as if to give her better access to the wound. I doubted it was a conscious move.

"His wrist," she mumbled, mostly to herself. Her hand slid down from his neck and down his arm to his wrist.  
She ran her fingers up and down it gently, and I noticed how he winced even though I didn't think he was awake.

"Broken . . . " she mumbled, "Defiantly broken . . . In several places."  
"What should we do?" I asked, "Should we take him to the hospital?" Vitani had defiantly drank too much, plus she'd hurt him . . .

Rose thought about it for a moment. "No," she decided, "I can take care of him here . . . But we should take him upstairs."  
"I got him," came Austin's voice as he walked inside the large, but crowded, closet. We flushed out to give him room, bumping into the walls.

Austin carefully pulled Attis into his arms, like the way Domingo had carried him when he'd nearly been killed in Arthasia. I turned to see Athan sitting next to Vitani, holding her close and comforting her as she cried. I decided not to bother them as we left the closet. Our entourage went upstairs, minus Kate who went to go tell her parents (who'd been watching Luna) what was going on. Everyone cleared away and stared at us, seeming confused and whispering. Prima rushed over to us, demanding to know what had happened and where Vitani was. I told her just as we reached the stairs. She vanished as the rest of us brought Attis to the third floor.

Austin carried him into a little lounge like room, where I guess people went to retreat and relax during a party, and placed him on a long fluffy couch.  
"Becca . . . Zap me in an IV and some blood, would ya?" she asked as she knelt down next to the couch.

I nodded and conjured up a small IV set up and some witch blood from the market. Of course, stores in Hades had wards around them so you couldn't take their stuff without zapping in money for it. And banks had wards too so you couldn't take money unless it was your's. So I got some blood and replaced it with some money from my endlessly large bank account.

Rose nodded in thanks as the rest of us scattered around the room, giving her space. She placed the IV in his wrist, the non broken one, and let the blood drip into him.  
"He'll be alright," she said, "Just needs a transfusion or two. I can heal his wrist a bit and then just get a brace for it," she said, "But I should wait a bit before I heal his wrist . . . Let him get a little more blood in him."

After that Domingo returned to Kate, and Austin left to go spread some fake story about what happened. Ken, Rose, and Nellie stayed though. Nellie to be with Attis, and Rose to tend to him, and Ken to be with Rose. I left though, to go check on Vitani and Athan. I ignored the people who tried to ask me what was going on. When I opened the painfully familiar closet door, I found Vitani huddled on the floor with Athan comforting her. Her tears had stopped but she was shaking slightly with small, quiet, sobs.

"Vitani . . .Are you alright?" I asked.  
"I'm-I'm alright," she sniffed.

"Are you are?" I asked.  
She sniffed and shook her head, as if she was clearing it. Her shaking stopped as she tried to control her sobs. "Yeah, yeah," she said with more conviction, "I'm fine."

"What happened?" I asked. I wondered vaguely what everyone else thought happened. That Vitani and Attis somehow ended up in a closet and she drank his blood. I was sure I could explain that away though, if we had too.  
"You shoud go check on Attis," she mumbled, not looking at me, "I think he's waking up."

I wondered how she knew that but then a light bulb flicked off in my brain . . . What if Vitani and Attis were Blood Bound? It was a possibility . . . But were they really soulmates? I wasn't so sure what was going on, so I just bit my lip, nodded and disappeared. Sure enough, when I got upstairs Attis was barely stirring.

Mumbling uninteligably as Rose went and knelt by him. I silently closed the door and leaned agaist it, not wanting to bother anyone.  
"Attis, sweetheart," Rose said in her best nurse voice, "Can you hear me?"

"Vitani?" he murmured, sounding dazed as his head lolled over to face us. His eyes were closed still though.  
"No sweetheart, it's Rose," she said, putting a hand on his forehead and closing her eyes in deep thought.

"Where's Vitani?" he asked. I felt myself flinch slightly; he was acting like I had immediately after Austin first drank my blood. Transfixed on him.  
"She's downstairs," Rose said, "She's fine. She'll come up later."

"Oh . . .Okay," he mumbled, his eyelids fluttering.  
"How do you feel?" she asked.

"My wrist hurts," he said, sounding kind of distant.  
"Let me take a look at that sweetie, okay?" she asked, grabbing the arm without the IV.

"Mmm kay," he murmured.  
She slowly probed up his arm until she reached his wrist. When she did he whimpered. Attis Payne, as arrogant and cold as Vitani without all the emotional baggage, actually whimpered. I never thought I'd see the day.

"Shhhh it's okay," Rose soothed and his face smoothed out.  
After she did a little healing on his wrist, he came to a little more, opening his eyes. He looked around and laughed weakly.

"Well isn't this one hell of a party?"


	10. Pressure

**Okay, so I know like it seems like I've lost interest in this story, but that's not true. What I've lost is my free time. I hardly ever have time 4 anything anymore. . .Sports, friends, family, parties, getting ready 4 school . . . It really is crazy. Actually it's really quiet sad that I rather b at home on my computer wenever i'm out. But I make do, have fun and make the best of everything. Even tho the longer I go w/o writing I feel like withdrawel is hitting me. Anyway, I'll try and make this chapter better . . . Seeing that ppl r filing complaints.**

* * *

**Pressure**

I sat on the steps outside the dance studio, waiting for Austin to pick me up. I had my own car but I hadn't driven here. I'd gotten a ride with my friend Diana. She'd offered me a ride home but I'd declined, saying that Austin was picking me up. But he was running late, he'd texted saying that football had run late and he was on his way. But the school was at least twenty minutes away, and I doubted I could just sit there waiting much longer.

I sighed and rested my head on my knees, knotting my fingers into my hair tightly. I just felt really stressed lately. With school starting back up again there was bound to be a decent amount of stress but this was insane. I had dance every afternoon after school and then I had to work on all my insane homework. I usually liked to go to the Kardigan's, but it was becoming a hassle. Luna was keeping everyone up so they were all on edge, especially Austin. Kate was taking a leave from school so her and Domingo didn't have any other obligations to really worry about. But Austin had school, football, homework, Council meetings, and could never sleep when he was home. He was especially exhausted and sometimes came over my house just so he could sleep.

It was the middle of October. Luna's baby shower a few weeks ago had gone pretty well, other then the Odysseus and Attis episodes. We were able to keep those on the DL pretty much though. There was a brief article in Azimon tabloid about how Attis Payne (son of Aquilon Payne, Mayor of Askelpios, an Azimon city in southern Canada) had supposedly been half drained by Princess Vitani, but it was brief and there was no proof.

Vitani had been spiraling since then, just like all of us. We suspected that she was Blood Bound to Attis, but she had refused to feed from him since, and was slowly losing her mind. Her antics ranged from talking to herself and writing nonsense on her walls to throwing major fits and spending nights on the roof. Attis, I'd heard, was also losing it from not being fed from by his vampire in weeks; it would drive a Blood Donor crazy. Athan was just completely confused by all the strange behavior, I'd been told. I felt bad for him.

Not like things were going so smoothly for me either though. I was busy and stressed all the time, and so was my best friend and boyfriend. Not to mention, my little sister was acting like a pysco. I felt like I was about to crack too, waiting for things to get better. But they weren't, and I had no idea how long it would take. When Athan found about Vitani's affair? When football season ended? When Luna could sleep through the night? When?

I moaned out loud, not sure when all of this would just stop. I could just feel this pressure over all of this . . . Like someone was about to break. Like something was going to happen. Like something was going to change. And it wouldn't be good. I wasn't sure if it was a pyscic feeling or just a regular old paranoid feeling. It was hard to tell . . . But I felt like I was waiting for something . . . Just sitting around and waiting for something bad to happen so I'd know what I had to fix. So I'd have a purpose, a challenge to worry about. A problem to solve. It was better then sitting around and waiting and losing my mind.

I looked up when the lambo pulled up front. I sat still as stone though, not making a move for the car. I felt frozen for some reason. I'd gotten a strange prick in the back of my neck, telling me that something was about to happen immediatly. After a few seconds, Austin got out of the car and walked around to the other side. He looked beat. He'd changed back into his normal clothes but his hair was saturated with sweat. He had shadows under his eyes but he looked concerned.

"Becca?" he asked, walking over to the stoop and sitting down, "You okay?"  
I didn't make a move; I still felt frozen. But he probably thought I was giving him the silent treatment.

"You mad at me or something?" he asked, "I'm sorry I'm late. Practice ran late."  
I still didn't answer.

"Becca?" he repeated, "You're not really that pissed are you?"  
I still felt paralyzed as I tried to decipher the meaning of the weird feeling I'd just gotten. Was it good or bad? I couldn't tell . . . It could be either.

"Rebecca," he said in a voice like the crack of a whip, snapping his fingers in front of my face.  
My body jolted and I shook my head, noting how I'd regained movement.

"Oh, sorry," I mumbled, "I got a weird feeling."  
"Again?" he asked, "That's like the third this week."

"I know . . . "  
"They're getting worse, I think," he said.

"Yeah me too . . . And I'm getting less visions. Just feelings . . . Feelings, feelings, feelings," I ranted, "I hate feelings. I hate feeling."  
"Would you rather be emotionless?" he asked, seeming oddly serious.

I looked at him. "Sometimes," I said.  
"Me too," he agreed, "Like right now."

"Why?" I asked, expecting him to break some kind of horrible news.  
"Because I feel so nervous I feel like I'm going to be sick," he said, and that's when I noticed the way he was anxiously tapping his foot. He didn't do that often.

"Why are you nervous?" I asked worriedly. What would he have to be nervous about? Was Aurora coming back for us? She'd been dormant for so long . . .  
"Because of this," he said, shocking me into silence as he moved so that he was on one knee in front of me. He pulled out a jewelry box and opened it. Inside was a beautiful ring with a huge beautifully cut diamond. The silver band was adorned in all sorts of different colored tiny crystals. They reflected the sky light, causing a rainbow of light all around. I sucked in a deep breath.

"So . . . You wanna marry me?'


	11. Show Me What I'm Looking For

**Show Me What I'm Looking For**

"Uh . . . What?" I repeated, my mind going blank.  
"Do you want to marry me?" he repeated.

"Uh . . . Did the Council put you up to this?" I asked.  
"No," he said, "I'm doing this because I want to."

"Seriously?" I asked, shocked. Austin wasn't exactly the commitment type.  
"Seriously," he repeated.

I thought about it hard, asking myself important questions. Did I want to marry Austin? Uh, a big hell yes! Followed by a just as big duh. Did he really want to marry me? Seemed like it. I didn't think that the Council had put him up to it. Would I ever want to be with anybody else? No . . . Defiantly no. Would Austin ever want to be with anybody else? I didn't think so. Were we ready for marriage? I wasn't quite sure.

I loved Austin . . . So so so much. More then I loved anybody else. More then I loved blueberry pancakes or my shiny new car. More then I loved dancing or magic. More then I loved vampire bites or reading. More then I loved myself. More then I loved living.

But was I ready for marriage? I wasn't one hundred percent sure. Even though I couldn't come up with a definite problem. Being married couldn't be that different, could it? I mean, the only thing that would really change was that we were legally together. Sure I knew that Azimon weddings were different then human weddings but they couldn't be that different. I wouldn't know though, seeing as I'd never been to one. Plus, the Council would be pleased. However, it would cause some problems for us. Explaining to my family that I was getting married without them assuming I was knocked up would be a challenge. Jake would be especially difficult. Not to mention that explaining to all the other humans in my life would be a hassle.

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I mean, maybe a big fancy wedding was just what we all needed. Something _good _to look forward to and plan for. Kate would have a ball planning it and getting into all the tiny details. Vitani and her various friends and lovers could use a good party too. And my mother, Prima, would just be ecstatic about the whole thing. Not to mention that the Council would stop riding us.

I was so busy thinking of how Austin and I getting married would help everybody else, that I momentarily forgot about what I wanted. Did I want to marry Austin? Yes. Was I ready? I wasn't so sure. I was going around in circles in my brain. Thinking over pros and cons.

"Uh . . . Can you hurry it up here?" Austin asked, "This is a kind of uncomfortable position."  
"Uh - I - Uh . . . I'm not sure," I mumbled.

"That's real romantic Becca," he muttered.  
"Oh . . . Like your proposal?" I asked sarcastically.

"Should I have set up a picnic by the lake? At night while we watched the stars? Gone skinny dipping and drank champagne before I confessed by undying love for you?" he suggested.  
"Well . . . I wouldn't of minded . . ." I said.

"Should I try again?" he asked.  
"No . . . no, no," I mumbled, shaking my head.

"So you don't want to marry me?" he checked, barely concealing how crushed he was. His ego seemed deflated and his expression was like a disappointed kid.  
I felt guilty and awful. I hadn't meant that I wouldn't marry him . . .

"No . . . That's not what I meant," I said.  
"Then what did you mean?"

"I meant don't try again . . . Because this is perfect," I said, putting a hand on his bent knee.  
"You consider this perfect?" he asked, "We're outside your dance studio, on these filthy stairs . . . It's like thirty degrees out and we're both covered in sweat. And I'm pretty sure it's about to pour."

"Like I said . . . Perfect," I said with a smile.  
"So . . . You'll marry me?" he asked.

"Yes," I decided, "I'll marry you."  
"Hallelujah," he rejoiced, wrapping his arms around my waist and lifting us both to our feet. I squealed as he hugged me tightly and spun me around.

"Austin!" I exclaimed, "Put me down!"  
"Never," he threatened devishly, smirking as he lowered me to my feet but kept his arms around me.

"So . . . We're going to do this?" I asked.  
"Yeah . . . I believe that was the plan," he said.

"Well . . . Then hand over that rock mister," I commanded jokingly.  
He grinned and released me. He reopened the velvet box that had snapped shut when he clenched it into the fist.

"Oohhh . . . Show me the bling," I teased, grinning.  
He grinned too and took the ring out before placing it on my ring finger.

"Like it?" he asked as I examined it, moving my hand to watch the faint light glitter off it.  
"Are you crazy? Of course I do," I gushed, "It's gorgeous. It must've cost a fortune."

"You know I have money to burn Becca," he said, "But I'd rather spend it on you."  
I smiled. "I never will understand why some girls hate when guys buy them expensive gifts."

He shrugged. "Who knows. And more importantly, who cares? All that matters is that I'm looking at the future Mrs. Karodarus."  
"Would you mind changing your last name instead?" I asked.  
"Yes," he said, "I would mind terribly. It's emasculating and unnatural."

"Sexist," I accused with a smile.  
"And yet, you still said yes," he said with a smile of his own.

I pushed him lightly and he grinned and pushed me back. I laughed and shoved him back.  
"Oh I don't think so," he said, grabbing me by the waist and pulling me close to him. He wrapped his arms around me and I squealed.

We both laughed at my girlish noise and when the laughter died, I found myself staring into his gorgeously deep and reflective silver eyes. He was staring back.  
"I love you," I said suddenly.

"I love you too," he said just as it suddenly began to pour. I screamed as the rain came down in absolute buckets.  
"Oh fuck!" Austin shouted as I squealed again and pulled away.

"To the car! To the car!" I yelled, making a dash for the lambo. But Austin grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back.  
"Hey!" I protested.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.  
"The car!" I said, "It's pouring!"

"You're not going anywhere until you kiss me," he said, "I just gave you a rock."  
I laughed and leaned in to kiss him. Our lips moved together in the familiar way as I laced my fingers through his hair.

Standing there in the pouring rain with only Austin, wearing my old sweat pants and smelling like a wet dog . . . I couldn't think of a more perfect moment.


	12. Know Your Enemy

**Know Your Enemy**

In the middle of our kiss Austin's cell phone randomly started blaring.  
"Well isn't this romantic," I mumbled as we pulled apart.

"Sorry," he apologized as he pulled out his phone.  
"It's okay," I said as he answered it.

"Hello?" he said, ". . . Whoa whoa whoa slow down Kate . . . Kate I can't understand you when you're sobbing like this . . . Just take a deep breath and tell me again what happened . . . Okay now I just have one question . . . How the _hell _did you possibly do that? . . . Okay, okay I'm sorry. Just calm down, we'll be there as soon as possible. She said yes by the way, if it interests you . . . Yeah yeah I know not the time . . . Okay we'll be right there. Just hold on."

"What's going on?" I asked worriedly as he put his phone away.  
"Get in the car," he commanded, getting his keys and heading for the driver's side.

"What's going on?" I demanded again as he started the car.  
"We have to go home, now," he said and the part of me that wasn't panicking liked the way he automatically referred to his house as _our _house. He always did but still.

"Luna's gone."

* * *

_***Vitani's POV***_

"We can't keep this a secret forever Vitani," Attis said, "We need to do something."  
"There's nothing we can do!" I screamed, "There's nothing anybody can ever do!"

It was late in the afternoon and the sky was black with storm clouds. Rain poured down as lightening flashed violently in the sky. Attis and I sat on my bed cross-legged, facing each other. He was a little frazzled looking, his blonde hair overgrown and messy. He had dark bruises under his eyes and was anxiously chewing on his lip.

"Vitani, chill out," he advised.  
"Don't tell me to chill out!" I screamed at him, jumping off my bed. "Don't tell me how to run my life!"

"Vitani, I think your mom's right," he said.  
"Don't ever say that!" I snarled.

"You really do need to talk to someone," he continued, "It would help you."  
"Don't pretend you know what's best for me," I hissed, "You're just as messed up as me."

"Because you refuse to accept the fact that we're Blood Bound!" he exclaimed.  
"Don't say that word!"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" he said, jumping up, "You think denying it will make it go away! But it won't Vitani! It won't go away."  
"Shut up!"

"You have to stop this Vittie. You're getting out of control. You don't realize that you're hurting yourself by pretending . . . And it's not just you Vittie! You're hurting me too . . . And Athan!" he shouted heatedly, knotting his fingers into his hair tightly, "God do you realize what you're doing to Athan! He loves you! And you're cheating on him . . . _I _love you! And all you do is hurt me and yet I still love you! I can't figure it out! You hurt us time and time again and _we still come back! _I don't know what it is about you but I just can't make myself hate you . . . No matter how hard I try . . . I just can't do it. Which is strange, considering how _selfish _you are."

"Attis," I said, unable to believe he was saying that.  
"I'm done," he said, "I'm just done. I don't care if we're Blood Bound . . . I can't handle you anymore. I'd rather spend the rest of my life slowly losing my mind then be one of your toys."

"Attis," I said sadly as he walked over to the door, "Please don't leave me."  
He made a disbelieving sound in the back of his throat and shook his head. "And once again, you only think about yourself. Why am I even surprised?"

And with that, he walked out, slamming the door behind him.

I screamed in frustration, pulling at my hair. I grabbed my desk chair and threw it into the wall. And continued in a similar fashion, breaking the few items in my room that hadn't already been broken. My mirror was already shattered, my books shredded, my walls painted on even though I couldn't remember painting them. I broke what was left, ripping apart my sheets and throwing lots of old antiques into the wall.

I continued to shriek wordlessly as I destroyed my room. Randomly the lights flickered off, due to the electrical storm. I didn't let it stop me though, continuing to detonate my room in the dark to the soundtrack of booming thunder.

Suddenly I felt a gust of wind and the faint spray of water. Which made me realize the window was open, which it defiantly had been before. Even if I was crazy I was sure of that. I turned to look in the direction of my window but I couldn't see anything in the pitch black. But I was suddenly aware of another presence in the room.

"Becca!" I shouted, guessing who was waiting in the shadows, "I know you're there! Now go away! I don't want to talk about how crazy I am or how happy you are! I'm sick of hearing about your perfect life with your perfect friends and perfect loving boyfriend. And I'm sick of you invading on my life . . . Trying to fix me. I don't need to be fixed _Aella_. I can take care of myself!"

She didn't say anything but I squinted and was able to see a faint silhouette. It was tall and female; sooooo Becca.  
"Aren't you going to say something!" I demanded, "Or are you just gonna stand there?"

There was still only quiet. And then lightening lit up the room faintly for a brief moment. But it allowed me a better look at the intruder. The quick view was creepy, seeing it was glowing ever so faintly and only partially visible. But I got a brief impression of the person. In her long moss colored form fitting gown and her long golden hair. It was Aurora.

"I believe you and I have something in common," she said.


	13. Everybody's Fool

_***Vitani's POV***_

"Aurora," I snarled, backing away, "What do _you _want."  
"I want what I've always wanted," she said simply, "What you're really wondering is what I want with you."

"If you come near me I swear to God I'll end you," I threatened, preparing to fight her.  
"I don't intend to harm you Vitani," she soothed, "I have a proposition for you."

"Not. Interested." I growled. Oh why had my mother chosen today to go to Hades? Even if I wanted her help right now I couldn't get it . . .  
"You haven't even heard what I have to say."

"I'm not interested in anything you have to say," I hissed, "Now get out before I make you regret coming here."  
"I really do think you should hear me out," she said, "It would be in your best interest."

"No. It would be in _your's. _I know how you operate Aurora. You're selfish. You're only here to ruin me."  
"I don't intend to hurt you in anyway. And, while it's true that I do want something from you, it's also true that you will gain from this offer."

My resolve faltered. I _was _curious about this deal of her's. That didn't mean I was ever going to accept it in a million years . . . I just wanted to know.  
"Say it then," I snapped, "Get it over with."

Another bolt of thunder flashed, giving me another view of her. She was smiling a sinisterly pleased smile.  
"You and I are very alike Vitani. Princesses living in the shadows of their older sisters," she began. "But that's not all we have in common. You're cunning . . . Just like me. And we both know how to get what we want. Even if what we want differs, there's a way both of could get what we want. I propose a partnership."

"Forget it," I snarled.  
"Now, now. I'm not finished," she said, "Like I was saying . . . A partnership. I need you for my newest plan . . . It's an inside job. And if I suceed, it will bring the Azimon to it's knees. Arthasia will rise and conquer the world. No immortal will ever have to hide what they are anymore. All humans will know of our existence, and bow before us. We will command the utmost respect. We will be like Gods."

"No way. You're sick."  
"You didn't even hear what you get out of this," she said.

"Oh, I already know. I'd get to be co-captian of your twisted little world that I helped create," I hissed, "No thanks."  
"That's not all," she said, another flash of lightening giving me another view of her twisted smile. "I know you Vitani. You may not think I do, but I do. I know what you want. You want to be your mother's favorite. You want to be _the _favorite. You're tired of taking second place to Aella."

I clenched my fists. "You don't know me," I growled, even though what she was saying was true.  
"But I do Vitani. I really do. And I can help. What would you say if I could get rid of Aella? For good this time. No reincarnation. Then _you _would be the favorite. Not only would you be the only Princess of the Azimon, but soon you'd be my second in command . . . Of the world. All powerful . . . Nobody above you. You could have anything you wanted . . . _Anybody _you wanted. You could have that adorable boyfriend of your's _and _that defiant little Blood Donor that just stormed out. All to yourself. You could have them at your disposal whenever you want. No more lies. No more hiding. You could have both of them . . . As your unquestionably loyal and obedient pets."

I had to shake my head to clear away the desire I felt. I didn't want to want that. But I did . . . I wanted it _badly. _I wanted my mother's love. For once I wanted to be the center of attention. I wanted both Athan and Attis all to myself without any more lies. I wanted people to listen to what I had to say and obey it. I shouldn't of wanted that but I did.

"No," I said, summoning all my willpower, "That's not what I want. I love Becca. She's my sister. I . . . I would never hurt her."  
"And yet all she does it hurt you?" she challenged curiously, "You think I don't know? I see the way she treats you. Always telling you how to run your life. Always telling you how wrong you are . . . Always telling you how _crazy _you are."

There was that word again. Crazy. I wasn't crazy.  
"I'm not crazy," I snapped.

"Of course you're not," she agreed, "_I _know that. But nobody else seems too . . . All the articles and news stories. All the things they call you. Manic. Demented. Unstable. Wild. Deranged. _Insane. _How would you like to prove them all wrong? By taking over the world with me?"

"I . . ." I trailed off, my voice faltering. Her offer was so tantalizing. How badly I wished to prove them all wrong. To show them that I wasn't crazy.  
"No," I said, stomping my foot as I tangled my fingers into my hair in frustration. Lightening lit up the room again. Aurora seemed amused by the affect she was having on me.

"You know you want this Vitani. You know you want the power. I can see it in your eyes. The promise of power is calling to you. I can see your desire for it. Your need for it. Your _hunger _for this."

"No!" I shouted, "I don't want this!"  
"It's true. You don't want this. You _need _this. Just like I need it," she said.

"No!" I screamed, "I'm not like you! _I'm nothing like you!" _  
God how I wished everybody didn't think I was crazy. Or else they would have come running at the sound of me screaming. It was too common nowadays though. I screamed in my room all the time. They probably all thought I was talking to myself again.

"Oh but you are Vitani," she said in a sweet voice, "You can't help it. Neither can I. We are what we are."  
"Shut up! I'm nothing like you! You're a bitch!" I shouted.

"And you're crazy," she returned calmly, "We all have our flaws. I already accepted your's. But can your friends? Can your family? Can Attis? Can Athan?"  
I opened my mouth to say something but choked on the words. I made a frustrated noise that was half a scream, half a groan.

"Why give them the chance to reject you?" she continued, "If you come with me everybody will be forced to accept you. They'll _worship_ you."  
"I-I don't . . . I don't want," I stuttered, "I can't do this."

"If you join me you can do anything you want," she said.  
"I-I can't think straight," I said, my head pounding. I felt sick . . . My head was spinning. I wanted to easily refuse Aurora. Spurn her offer and force her to leave. Then go running to Hades and warn the Council of her plan. But it wasn't easy. She'd done her homework. Spyed on me obviously. Saw how I interacted with others, heard the rants I'd made when I was alone. She knew how to get it to me. Knew what I wanted and knew how to manipulate me.

"With me, you won't have to think. Just do what I say," she promised.  
"I don't . . . I'm not sure . . ." I said. I was tired of being played by people. Manipulated. Aurora was manipulating me _right now _but somehow . . . I felt like this was a legitimate offer. I felt like if I said yes people would stop taking advantage of me.

"I promise you Vitani. With me, you can have everything you've ever wanted. You will never be denied of anything. Together, you and I will take over the world, be reveered by all. Aella will be out of the way. Austin will be mine. All your mother's love will go to you. We'll have as many Blood Donors as we like. Everyone will worship the ground we walk on. Now . . . What do you say?" she asked as lightening struck again.

She held out her hand.


	14. Dear Agony

**Dear Agony**

"Now tell me one more time Kate," Austin said, "What happened?"  
"I-I-I put Luna in her crib around three for a - for her nap. And then I went to w-watch TV but I-I fell asleep. And when I woke up it was past six. I-I got worried that Luna'd been asleep for three hours straight. So I-so I went upstairs to go check on her . . . And I went in her room and she-she wasn't there," Kate sobbed, burying her face in her hands.

"Do you think someone took her?" I whispered to Austin. I knew Kate could hear me but I whispered anyway.  
He shrugged. "I don't know . . . I think we should go to the Council. Have you called Domingo yet Kate?" he asked.

She nodded, biting her lip to keep it from quivering. She was visibly shaking with grief and panic. We were in the kitchen after shortly arriving to find Kate alone at the table, crying her eyes out.

"What about mom and dad?" he asked.  
"No . . ." she whimpered.

"I'll call," he said, going over to the counter and getting the phone. He dialed a number and put it to his ear. I wrapped my arms around Kate and let her cry into my shoulder.

"Mom?" I heard Austin say as Kate continued to weep, "We have a problem here . . . No I didn't do anything! . . . Why do you always assume everything is my fault? . . . As a matter of fact _Mommy _this isn't even remotely my fault . . . Luna is missing . . . Ow, ow, ow, that's my ear woman! . . . No of course not, Kate's in hysterics . . . How the hell am I supposed to know what to do! . . . You're the parent here! I'm just the irresponsible son who _isn't _at fault here . . . Yeah I was thinking the same thing . . . Okay, I'll see you guys then . . . Love you too. Bye."

He clicked the phone shut and turned to us. "She's on her way to the Council. She's going to get dad. When Domingo gets here we'll leave."  
"Do you think he'll be here soon?" I asked Kate, grabbing her shoulders lightly and holding her away from my slightly so I could look her in the eye. Her face was all red and her eyes were all bloodshot. Tears were freely streaming down her cheeks as she shook with sobs.

She shrugged helplessly. "I-I don't know," she sniffed, "He was at a real-estate office across town. I called - I called him right before I called you guys."  
"So he should be here soon?" Austin checked.

"I-I guess," she said, "I told him Luna was missing and then the line just went dead."  
"He'll probably be here soon," I assured her as I suddenly heard the screeching of tires down the road. Followed by a more grating screech and then the sound of a car coming to a dead stop.

"I think he's here," Austin said quietly as I heard a car door slam followed by angry stomping footsteps. Half a second later the door flew open to reveal Domingo. He had on a leather jacket over a white t-shirt and looked pretty bad-ass, especially with his blazing expression. The rain pouring down behind him with the thunder cracking and lightening flashing accented it nicely.

Silently he went over to Kate and wrapped her into his arms as she sobbed into his shoulder.  
"I don't know where she is - I'm - I'm so worried . . . Where could she be? Somebody - somebody took her . . . I know they did . . ." she weeped.

Well obviously. Usually one month year old babies didn't climb out of second story windows. But I wasn't about to point that out.

"Are we going to the Council or what?" Domingo snapped, looking over Kate's shoulder at Austin.  
"Yes. We were waiting for you," he said.

"Good. Let's go," he said, "Austin give me your keys."  
"We can't all fit in my car," he mumbled.

"True. We'll take Kate's car, you guys take your car," he amended, "C'mon Katie."  
He led the sniffling Kate outside and I could hear them getting in the car.

"Ready to go?" Austin asked me as he grabbed his keys off.  
"Yeah. Just one second. My stomach's bothering me, I'm going to go get some Tums," I said.

"Upstairs medicine cabinet," he told me.  
"I know where it is," I grumbled, fleeing the room and jogging up the stairs. I went into the upstairs bathroom and grabbed two Tums out of the medicine cabinet. I popped them into my mouth and chewed them on my way downstairs.

I walked into the kitchen to find Austin putting on a thin black rain jacket. He was zipping it up and turned to look at me. "You should get a jacket," he said.  
"Good idea," I agreed, grabbing one of Mrs. Kardigan's light brown leather jacket and putting it on. I also grabbed Kate's grey coat and folded it over my arm.

"Let's go," I said and followed Austin outside into the raging storm. Kate and Domingo were in the Maserati, waiting for us. Domingo was revving the engine impatiently. Austin was heading over to the Lambo but I went towards the Maserati. He paused by the door of his car and watched me for a moment, cocking his head to the side.

I tapped on the passenger window of the Maserati. The hysterical Kate looked up and unrolled the window, looking confused.  
"Here," I said, handing her her coat. She stared back at my with wide eyes.

"Thanks."  
"No problem," I said, walking away and getting into the passenger seat of the Lambo. Domingo pulled out and Austin followed. Soon we were both on the road towards Hades.

Austin flipped open his cell phone and dialed a number while we were on the highway.  
"You shouldn't do that," I told him, "It's dangerous."

"Yeah well this is kind of an emergency," he said, "My niece has been kidnapped. Besides, there's nobody else on the road."  
I sighed and then winced, ever so slightly hunching in on myself. I had a killer stomachache. It was either that freaking burrito I'd had for lunch or I was getting my period. Probably both, I supposed. You couldn't trust that cafeteria meat.

"It's Austeralgo. I need to talk to Zephorous. It's important," Austin said into the phone, "Yes I'll hold . . . Zephorous, do you know what's going on? . . . Okay so obviously nobody called you . . . Luna's missing . . . As in she's been kidnapped . . . Well as far as I know most infants don't run away. Especially one's who can't even crawl . . . Yeah we're on our way right now . . . As a matter of fact, she _did _say yes. Thank you for asking . . . Yeah thanks . . . We'll be there in like ten minutes."

I gave him a questioning look. "Zephorous asked how the proposal went," he explained.  
"My dad knew!" I exclaimed.

"Well duh. I had to ask for your hand. God I'm not a total moron. Actually, now that I think about it, I should probably ask your other dad too. But perhaps now's not the time for that."  
"Ya think?" I asked.

"Yeah," he agreed, "Who do you think took her?"  
"Aurora, if I had to guess," I said honestly, "I didn't want to say anything around Kate but I can't think of anybody else who would possibly take her."

"I agree," he said, "She's the only one with the motive."  
"Well not necessarily. They're are a few other's who could possibly have the motive."

"Like who?" he asked.  
"I don't know . . . I'm just saying we should keep an open mind. I mean, yeah I personally think it's Aurora. But we shouldn't rule out all others."

"I guess you're right," he agreed.

About ten minutes later we arrived at the Council building, right after Kate. Luckily there was no scheduled Council meeting that day so there were no paparazzi. I noticed Cybele and Lupo arriving in separate limos at the same time as we did. Zephorous must have called an emergency meeting.

As we made our way to the Council room, Kate clung to Domingo and sobbed. She was truly a wreck. I was pretty shaken too. I loved Luna but I had expereince dealing with Aurora. She'd kidnapped me before and Austin too. Sure it hadn't worked out so well the first time but I knew how she operated now.

The Council room was crowded. Lupo and Cybele had been slightly ahead of us and were already seated. The rest of the Council was present, along with Oddyseus, Nova, and Nicodemus. My mother was also there, sitting next to my father. A few feet behind her was her usual entourage, Vitani among them. She was wearing her purple cloak like the other's but she had her hood down. She looked nervous, biting her lip as her eyes darted around the room. If I wasn't so worried about Luna, I would've been worried about her.

"Take a seat," Zephorous said and we all took our seats. Except for Kate who gave up her seat to sit on Domingo's lap and cry.  
"So from what I here Luna Lyn is missing," Zephorous said.

"I think Aurora took her," Austin spoke up.  
"I think she did too," Vitani agreed nervously.

My mother turned around to give her a sharp look that silently told her to shut up.  
Vitani ignored it. "I really think she took her," she said, "In fact, I know she did."

"Vitani," my mother hissed harshly, "This is no time for your games."  
"This isn't a game!" she exclaimed, "None of this is!"

"Then why don't you stop playing around?" my mother suggested dryly.  
"I'm not playing around! I'm serious! Aurora took Luna and that's not even the worst part! She's planning more!"

"Vitani, that is quite enough," my father chimed in, "This is a serious matter."  
"I know that! God damn it when will everyone stop acting like I'm a crazy person!" Vitani shouted, "I am not crazy!"

"Then why don't you start acting like it," my mom said in a falsely sweet voice.  
"Ugh! Why did that stupid bitch have to be right!" she exclaimed, "She told me you wouldn't believe me. I should've known she was right."

"What in the name of Maia are you talking about?" my mother asked.  
"What's it to you? I'm crazy aren't I? I don't have to make sense," she growled, stalking over to the door.

She opened it and then paused. "You're going to be sorry you didn't believe me. All of you. You're going to be sorry," she vowed before slamming the door on her way out.

"I know this isn't very important in light of recent events," I said in the silence that followed, "But you really need to give Vitani a break."  
"You're right," my mom said tightly, "This _isn't _the time for this."

I huffed and rolled my eyes, even though we had bigger fish to fry, obviously.  
"Zephorous," came the secretary, Aldara's voice through the half open the door, "There's a request for a video confrence coming in from Arthasia."

"I wonder who that could be," Austin mumbled sarcastically as Zephorous picked up a remote and clicked a button. A huge plasma TV swung out from a crease in the wall.

"Okay, when the hell did that get there?" I demanded.  
"It's always been there," Austin said.

"Oh . . . How did I not notice that . . ." I trailed off as Zephorous hit some buttons on the remote until Aurora appeared on the screen. She was sitting on some kind of black and gold thrown. She looked like she always did - beautiful, spiteful, cruel. She was dressed in a long forest green dress that hugged her body _too _tightly and was a little too low cut. Fancy gold necklaces adorned her neck. They looked heavy. She actually wore a tiara on her head. It was silver with emeralds adorning it. Cradled against her chest was a little baby girl in a lacy white dress and a white bow in her hair. Luna.

Kate screamed. She jumped to her feet and screamed at the top of her lungs. The shriek was angry, and mournful, and pained, and just plain heart breaking. She sounded like she wanted to kill someone then flop down on the floor and cry her eyes out.

"You mother fucking bitch!" Domingo shouted, also getting to his feet.  
"I can't believe you would stoop so low," Austin snarled, getting to his feet as well.

"I can," I hissed, also getting up.  
_"What a greeting,"_ she said, _"Long time no see Azimons."_

"You're a coward," Austin accused, "You kidnap a infant and then you won't even come face to face with us."  
_"Nice try Austin. But I know what you're trying to pull baby. I'm a little too smart for it though. You can't bait me into coming to you. I'm going to stay here, safe behind the protection of the wards. And this time, nobody, not even the first witch, will be able to undo them."_

"What do you want Aurora?" my father sighed impatiently, "Because I know a ransom note is coming."  
_"Always an inteligent fellow you were Zephorous. But unfortunatly I know you would never agree to give me what I want. I'm better off just waiting for my plan to play out," _she said, stroking Luna's hair.

"Just tell us what you want Aurora," my father said again. He looked weary, like he didn't want to have to deal with this. He obviously wasn't taking Aurora seriously. I was though. Given Vitani's strange warning. My mother also seemed more concerned then I expected. Probably because she'd realized that Vitani had been right.

_"Oh why does everyone always ask me that. Although I'm far from predictable, my motives have not changed and neither have my desires. What I want from you is one of two things in exchange for Luna. It's not like you'd ever give me either of these two things though. It's an unequal trade, I'm aware. These objects are much more valuable then the life of one little girl."_

"Tell us what you want you mother fucking skank!" Kate shouted at the top of her lungs with clenched fists.  
_"I either want the Lost Witch's corpse to lie at my feet or the Prince to lie in my bed," _she said simply.

"I am disturbed," Austin said simply. My stomach rolled. I wasn't sure which bothered me more. Aurora wanting to kill me or Aurora wanting to lay Austin. Or maybe it was that burrito again . . . No, it was probably Aurora.

"I am concerned," I chorused in.  
"Are you completly deranged woman?" Zephorous demanded of her.

_"Well, yes but I hardly see how that's relavant," _she said.  
"To think that we'd ever let you kill Aella or take Auseralgo is completly ludicrious," my father said.

_"I had a feeling it'd be that way," _she sighed, _"Too bad. I'll guess I'll just have to continue on with my plan. Prepare for the devestating consquences. Well goodbye for now Azimons, I have a lot of schemes that need to be put into action. But I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of you _very _soon. Ta-ta for now."_

The screen went black.


	15. I'll Come For You

**I'll Come For You**

"That little bitch!" Kate screamed, grabbing her empty chair and slamming it down on the floor brutally. It shattered into mere splinters.  
"Well," snapped Domingo harshly, looking at my father, "What are you going to do about this?"

"We'll have to consider the possibilities . . ." he trailed off. Once again, he didn't seem too alarmed.  
"Are you deaf man?" Domingo snarled, "That pyscotic bitch has kidnapped our daughter . . . And you're just going to sit here and _think _of possible options? Again?"

"Yeah," Austin chimed in, "Look how well that went last time."  
"Austeralgo!" my mother rebuked sharply, standing up.

"Well he's right," I said, "When I got kidnapped you guys just sat around. And then I died."  
Kate screamed again, grabbing another chair and smashing it. Perhaps bringing up the possibility of her child getting killed wasn't the best approach.

"Aella," my mother snapped, "Could you try and be a little sensitive for a minute?"  
"Could you?" I snapped back.

"Could you both shut up so we can deal with the problem at hand?" Oddyseus growled.  
"Could you walk in front of a bus?" Austin suggested.

"Could you stop being a whore?" the General replied.  
"I am not a whore!" Austin objected, "I can't help it if women actually want to have sex with _me._"

"What are you implying?" the General snarled at him darkly.  
"I think you know you son of a bitch," Austin growled, "Literaly."

"A werewolf quip . . . That's in very bad taste, parasite," he returned.  
"Well I'm the mother fucking prince, bitch, I'll say whatever the hell I want," Austin snapped at the General.

"You should really learn to control him Aella," my mother told me, nodding at Austin.  
"Control him?" I demanded, "He's not a dog, mother. People aren't just pets you can boss around. No wonder dad left you."

"Aella that is a horrible thing to say!" she said.  
"Well I do not care. Austin isn't the only one with a temper here," I hissed.

There were several arguements taking place throughout the room. Oddyseus and Austin. Domingo and Zephorous. Me and my mother. We were all shouting and yelling at each other, at the same time. The other's in the room didn't seem to know what to do.

"You always were spoiled Aella," my mother said, "But I never thought you this rude."  
"My God you actually just admitted you were wrong," I snarled, "Someone call the newspapers!"

"STOP IT!" screamed Kate at the top of her lungs. The fighting immediatly ceased and everyone zoned in on the shaking blonde girl with the pink face and bloodshot eyes from which tears freely fell.

"Stop it all of you!" she sobbed, "Do anyone of you remember what the real problem is? My daughter is missing! Aurora has her! And she's planning something worse! Vitani tried to warn us but nobody listened! Not like I'm surpirsed . . . None of you ever listen! You bicker like children! To caught up in your own affairs to think of anyone else!"

"She's right," Domingo agreed, going to his girlfriend's side. He put a comforting arm around her shoulder.  
"We need to focus," I agreed.

"Of course," my mother said quietly.  
"So what should we do?" Austin asked.

"Well I'll tell you what we're _not _going to do," I said, "We are not going to sit around on our asses and do nothing."  
"We sure as hell are not," came Mrs. Kardigan's voice as the doors suddenly swung open. She looked furious with her just as furious husband next to her.

"Oh. Hera, Vulcan," said my father, "I see you've made it."  
"And I see you're doing nothing again," snapped Mrs. Kardigan, "As usual."

"Now Hera," he rebuked.  
"Not now Zephorous . . . " she snarled as the two stalked towards the rest of us, "I've put up with you for two many years. Nearly four hundred. I delt with you when I was friends with Prima, I tried to deal with your cruel treatment of my son, but I'm done putting up with you. You _will _fix this . . .Or you will pay the price."

"Mrs. Karodarus, surely you aren't threatening the king," said Oddyseus, "That's treason. We could have you executed for that."  
"And I could have _you _executed," she snapped, "Isn't that right Austeralgo?"

Austin smiled slowly, revealing his fangs. "Yes Mommy," he hissed menancingly.  
"Don't think that just because your son is the Blue Flame means that you are above the law, Hera," he snarled at her, "You are just as punishable as any other citizen."

"Over my dead body," Austin growled back.  
"You can be silenced as well Austeralgo," the general spat.

"Okay, kill me . . . Good luck with the whole apocalypse thing," he retorted.  
"I never said," Oddyseus sneered, "That we would kill you. Now that the locker remains unburned we could easily take away your powers until you prove useful to us."

"Perhaps you've forgotten that only _I _can invoke the spell," I chimed in, "And I would never."  
"Enough!" Kate shouted suddenly. Once again, all eyes were on her. She wasn't crying anymore. She looked determined and set.

"This is ridicilous! You people will never get anything done on your own! The wisest of our species my ass . . . You bicker like kindergarteners . . . Holding silly grudges and threatening each other. Now, it seems as if I'll have to take hold of the situation. Seeing as I'm the only _real _adult here. Now, here's what we're going to do."

"Becca I want you to find Vitani," she instructed, "We need to know what she knows. Bring Rose with you. Leave Ken at home. Zephorous, I want you to make sure everyone knows what's going on. And I do mean everyone. Everyone in the entire kingdom. Prima, I want you to get to work disecting the nature of this 'super ward.' You're the first witch. There shouldn't be a spell you can't break."

"Oddyseus, I want you to have nessecary military provisions provided. If we have to, attack on the Arthasian capitol will be iminate," she continued, "Mom, Dad, I want you to go find Tora and the others. Don't ask why. I want all other Council members to try and get contact with Princess Fama. She is obviously the most reasonable of the entire Arthasian royal family. If it's possible, I would like someone to contact Prince Adonis. From what I know he's been cooperative in the past. Lastly, I want _someone _to lock Austin in a closet. Because I _know _what you're planning on doing, brother, and I won't let you. And I don't want to hear anything about how I have no authority. You'll do what I say or you will come to regret it."

There was a mumbling throughout all, but somehow everyone eventually came to do what Kate had said. Mr and Mrs. Kardigan had gone off to find Tora and company, and Zephorous had gone to alert the press, while my mother went somehwere quiet to concentrate on the wards. Oddyseus had gone off to prepare his troops while Lupo had partially dragged Austin away to a place where someone could keep an eye on him for the time being. The council room was mostly empty, just a few scattered Council members, talking together about their plans on contacting Fama and Adonis.

I approached Kate, where she was talking to Domingo. Something had changed in Kate in the last hour. She'd gone from distraught mother to fierce leader. I didn't mind though. At least things were finally getting done around here.

"Aren't you going to leave?" she asked me when I approached.  
"Once Rose is back. She was helping my mother," I explained.

"Okay good," she said.  
"Can I ask you something? What did you think Austin was planning to do?"

"He was going to give himself up to Aurora in exchange for Luna," she said without affliction, "I know how he thinks and I couldn't allow him to do that."  
"Wha-why not?" I asked, "I mean, I would never but . . . I just thought you would do anything to save Luna."

"I will," she vowed, "But not that. I won't sacrifice one loved one for another. Besides, we can't let Aurora work us like that. We can't let her get what she wants. We can't let her have Austin as her little lapdog and we can't let her kill you. Which, along with many other reasons, is why you have to be careful when you go looking for Vitani."

"Don't worry," I will be," I promised.  
"Good . . . But there's just one last favor I need from you," she said.

"Sure. What?" I wondered.  
"There's another person I need you to find for me . . ." she trailed off. "After you find Vitani."  
"Sure. Who?" I asked.

"Robert Redblood . . . You may know him better as the infamous Bobbie Redblood."


	16. Bruises And Bitemarks

_**Austin's POV**_

People say I'm not sensible. They say I'm reckless and thoughtless. I'd always disagreed.

I know how to think through a situation. I know how to avoid a dangerous situation. I know what the smart thing to do is. I just hardly ever do it.

There's a difference between smart and right. Self preservation is smart, but selflessness is right. I've always felt like the only person who understood that.

I have a lot of people in my life who care about me. And I understand that they want me to be safe. But what they don't understand is how I could never live with myself, sitting around doing nothing while someone I loved was in danger.

Luna Lyn.

She was my niece, just a month old and already sucked into the demented ways of our world. The twisted politics of it all. Complicated plans, ruthless invasions, random abductions, sick manipulations. It was all apart of our everyday lives. Suffering and corruption were just typical occurrences for us. We dealt with evil schemes everyday, and at the very moment, I was becoming a pawn in someone's scheme and I knew it.

Princess Aurora was playing all of us, I knew it. At that moment, I was falling right into her trap and I didn't care. She could have anything she wanted if she never came within touching distance of Luna or Becca ever again. She could have anything - _anything_. If she never harmed another member of my family ever again. I would give up anything. Even things that weren't mine to offer. Like the safety of the Azimon empire.

I didn't care though. I was giving up everything as I ascended the steps into Princess Aurora's council room, the two Arthasian guards right behind me, their wooden stakes ready to plunge into my back if I tried anything. It wouldn't be necessary though. I wasn't going to try anything. I wasn't a prisoner this time. I had come here of my own free will.

Stepping into the throne room, my only regret was not getting to see Becca one last time. There was no way Aurora would ever allow me any contact with her after this, I was sure. I hadn't ever gotten to say goodbye to her though. To touch her, or kiss her, or tell her how much I loved her. That thought, of never seeing her again, made me want to cry. But I refused to.

I was doing what I had to do. For Luna. For Kate. For my parents. For everyone and everything I had ever cared about. But mostly for her. For Becca. I could never risk Aurora hurting her. Her father before her had been the reason for her first death, and I refused for there to be a fifth death of her's. Just imagining how my beautiful Rebecca had died many times made my heart constrict. I wouldn't allow her to go through another one, ever.

At the top of the narrow and dimly lit staircase there was an old fashioned wooden door. It opened before I could even go for the handle. I stepped inside, followed by the armed guards, into Aurora's council room. Or more accurately her throne room. It wasn't too large, but round like a castle tourent. One throne was at the other side of the room.

Aurora was sitting in the black and gold throne she'd been sitting on in the video I'd seen just hours ago. She was wearing the same dark green dress, the same gold jewelery, and the same tiara. In her arms was the same baby. I almost lunged forward at the sight of little Luna in the arms of the vicious Aurora. I held myself back though and watched her intently.

She was feeding Luna a bottle, and Luna looked oddly contempt. She wasn't crying or anything. It was probably a spell or something, I assumed. I didn't have time to dwel on it because Aurora's eyes flickered up to look at me and she smirked smugly. I hadn't seen Aurora in almost a year and yet seeing her gave me the same reaction it always did. An overwhelming urge to either rip her throat out, or go hide.

I did neither though. Instead I stood my ground and stared back at her, trying to keep a straight face and a steady gaze.  
"Come hither," she urged, gesturing for me to come forward.

Taking a deep breath, I took very slow and deliberate footsteps until I was standing in the middle of the room, about ten feet from Aurora.  
"Well I must say I'm surprised to see you here Austin," she said, "Well, actually let me reword that. I'm surprised to see you here so soon. I expected you to give this decision a little more thought, although I will admit, I did know what your choice would be. You're very predictable Austeralgo."

"I'm not in the mood for the chitchat," I said, "You know why I'm here so let's get this thing done."  
"Hmph, it's unlike you not to get egged on by a mild insult. I must say you've matured a bit since our last encounter. But obviously not very much or you wouldn't be here in the first place. But who am I to question your decision?"

"Let's just make the deal," I insisted.  
"Very well then," she said, sliding off her throne and placing Luna carefully into a baby carrier next to it. She walked over to me and stood directly in front of me. I had to work not to shrink away from her. Seeing her always gave me the same reaction. Passionate anger and powerlessness.

"I assume that you got my message and understand the conditions," she asked.  
"Yes. I do," I said, "You guarantee safety for my family and anyone else close to me. In return, I preform the Blood Ceremony with you and do as you say."

"Sounds like a deal to me," she said, "Are you ready to make it binding?"  
I took another deep breath. "Yes," I told her.

"Good," she said, putting her arm out in front of her. She pulled up her sleeve and then slashed her own wrist with her fingernail. Blood seeped out. A guard appeared next to her, holding a small clay bowl a second later. She let a decent amount of blood drip into it before the guard held the bowl out to me. Closing my eyes, I held out my arm and dragged my fingernail across it. Sharp pain went through my arm but nothing I couldn't handle. I let the blood drip into it for a while.

"You can open your eyes now," came Aurora's taunting voice, "The scary part is over . . . for now at least."  
Working hard to keep my composure, I opened my eyes. Aurora was still standing in front of me, with gauze wrapped around her arm. She had the clay bowl in her hand and was stirring the blood around with her finger.

Then she glided over to the stone wall. The guard next to me offered gauze for my bleeding arm but I declined. I was transfixed on Aurora as she dipped her fingers into our mixed blood and proceeded to draw on the walls with it. She drew a simple design. A pentagram.

It was an ancient vampire tradition called the Pentagram Ritual. To make a deal binding the two parties would have to mix their blood together and then draw a pentagram on the walls with it. It was said that whoever was the first to break the a promise sealed with the Pentagram Ritual would lose favor with the Gods.

When Aurora was done, she turned back around to look at me. She smiled slowly. "And now it is set in blood," she said.  
I simply nodded as she went over and picked up the baby carrier with Luna in it. She carried it over to me.

"I'm going to miss this little one," she said, "She is quite adorable. But a deal's a deal. Would you like to say goodbye?"  
"Goodbye Luna," I said, working hard to keep my voice from breaking. Luna was looking at me with those sweet dark eyes, that I could've sworn looked mournful just then.

And in the next second she was gone. Just vanished. One of the guards was obviosly a witch.  
"Where is she now?" I asked, working hard not to raise my voice or be demanding.

"In the Council room back in Hades. Someone has probably already discovered her," she said. It wasn't in my nature to believe Aurora, but we had just preformed the Pentagram Ritual. No vampire in their right mind would break that.

"Don't be sad," she said, slightly teasing, "You'll see her again . . . Not until the Azimon empire falls though of course."  
I bit my tongue to keep from retorting.

"Okay," I said without affliction  
"We'll preform the Blood Ceremony in a few weeks or so," she continued, taking a few steps closer to me, "That'll give me time to plan."

"Okay."  
"But what to do 'til then . . ." she trailed off seductively. She was an inch away from me now, giving me a once over while she fiddled with my shirt collar.

Swallowing my pride I said, "Whatever you want."  
"Hmmm . . . whatever I want . . . I like the sound of that," she giggled. "Guards. Go tell my father of the glorious news. Austin and I will be upstairs. Don't disturb us."

"Oh course princess," one of them said and the whole lot vanished.  
"Come along now," she said, grabbing my wrist and proceeding to lead me out of the throne room and up an elevator to her room. We didn't see a single soul, which I thought was weird. I didn't really care though. My life was basically over.

I didn't even care as Aurora led me into her lavishly huge gold bedroom and pushed me down onto her golden canopy bed. Without Becca life meant nothing to me. I was never going to see her again, and that meant I would never be happy again. But it was nothing compared to the agony I would endure if I ever allowed her to be killed because of me. This way, she would be safe. Sure, I knew she would be pissed at me for leaving and putting myself in danger but that was better then dead.

I was barely aware of Aurora straddling me or taking of my shirt. Nor did I care about her slipping my jeans off or licking the drying blood off my arm.  
"I've been waiting a _long _time for this," she purred, her hot breath in my ear causing me to shudder involuntarily. Which caused her to laugh.

"Oh don't you worry. I'm going to make this fun for you baby boy," she promised, giggling.  
I for one, doubted that. I'd probably just be thinking about Becca the whole time.

"I know something that would make this even better," she said, sliding off me.  
_"For me or for you?" _I thought dryly as I waited for her to finish digging through the drawer in her bedside table. When she came out with a pair of gold handcuffs I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Why did I even expect any less?

Becca and I had never needed extra things to make sex better. Just being with each other like that was enough for us. The way Aurora liked to play games was another cruel reminder of how I was currently with a woman so different then my Rebecca.

Aurora climbed back on top of me again, smirking as she looped the handcuffs through the thin silver rails of her headboard behind me.  
"_Well you got your your wish Aurora. I'm lieing in your bed," _I thought ruefully. I wanted nothing more right then to be home. To wrap my arms around Becca and never let her go.

Over the last seventeen years of my life people had said I was a lot of different things. Irrational. Senseless. Thoughtless. Quick tempered. Foolish. They'd also called me a lot of names. Dumbass. Brat. Whore.

And as Aurora locked the cuffs around my wrists, chaining me to the bed, it was hard not to agree with all of them.


	17. Last To Know

_Sorry sorry sorry! sorry it took me so long to update! But I got really wrapped up in Beware of Vampire . . . It really took off recently . . . Plus I started a new story, Dark In Here. Check it out. Anyway, here's the chapter I put off forever. Don't worry, the next one won't take so long._

_

* * *

_

_**Kate's POV**_

I was pacing the empty Council room when I saw her. Sitting on the table in a baby carrier was my angel, my Luna.  
"Luna!" I rejoiced, running towards her at top speed. I picked her up and held her against my chest.

"Oh Luna. Baby, baby . . .It's okay. It's okay. Mommy's here . . .It's okay," I cried as tears of relief streamed down my face. I examined her more closey to make sure if she was okay and she was. She seemed perfectly fine, actually. She wasn't even crying.

"Domingo!" I called, still crying, "Domingo!"

He came running from wherever he'd previously been, of course. When he saw me with Luna in my arms I swear it was like the sun breaking through storm clouds. His expression had been calm and resigned before, but seeing the elation in it now it was easy to tell that his previous expression was one of stress and pain.

He ran forward, wrapping his arms around the two of us. I could've sworn to God I saw a tear in his eyes. And Domingo never cried. I'd been so wrapped in the joy of the return of my daughter that I hadn't even questioned _why _she was back. It took a few more minutes of rejoicing for me to realize it. Surprisingly, I did before Domingo.

I froze all of a sudden and Domingo must've felt the tension in my body. He let me go and stepped back, his hands on my shoulders as he looked at me in concern. "Kate?" he asked, "Are you okay."

"AUSTIN!" I screamed.

* * *

_**Becca's POV**_

"Just tell me what happened. How did you know what you knew?"

We were in Vitani's destroyed bedroom. It was the first place Rose and I had decided to look for her, and we'd been wise to choose it. We'd found her, curled up in the corner of the detonated room. She'd been crying and muttering nonsense to herself. She stayed in her corner with her knees pulled up to her chest, shaking. I was crouched down in front of her while Rose hung back behind me.

"Knew what? I don't know anything . . . I don't know anything," she mumbled, her glassy eyes staring right past me.  
"About Aurora and Luna," I urged, "How did you know that Aurora took Luna."

"I don't know anything . . ." she repeated, "I don't know anything."  
"Vitani," I said sharply, "You have to tell me. I know that you know something."

"I don't know anything. I hear things. I see things. But I don't understand them," she said, sounding like she was in a trance, "I don't understand anything. I don't _know _anything."

I looked over my shoulder at Rose who just shrugged in response to my worried look. I was really concerned about Vitani. Maybe she really was crazy.  
"Vitani please," I said in a softer voice, "Tell us what you kn - I mean saw. Tell us what you heard."

"Aurora came here," she said, "She talked to me . . . She wanted me to join her. She wanted me to be a double agent."  
"And what did you say?" I asked, "Did you agree?"

"No, no. I told her no. I told her I would tell my mother what she was planning. She told me nobody would believe me. She was right. Nobody believes me."  
I worked hard to ignore the heartbreaking fact that everyone thought my little sister was crazy. "What was Aurora planning Vitani?" I pressed.

"She's going to preform the blood ceremony with Austin," she said in that trance like voice, "She's going to make him help her take over the Azimon."  
"That's not going to happen Vitani," I soothed, "Austin is no where near Aurora." I had no idea what a blood ceremony was but I knew that Austin was safe in Hades, away from Aurora.

"Oh, it's going to happen. You're wrong . . . So so wrong," she mumbled.  
"What else is Aurora planning?" I asked, ignoring that.

"She's going to let humans know of our existence . . . She's going to enslave them," she said.  
Well, as bad as that was, I couldn't say I was surprise. "Why did she kidnap Luna?" I asked.

"As a bargaining tool . . . She knows how to get what she wants. She wanted Austin to help her," she told me in her hollow voice.  
"How can we get Luna back without giving up Austin?" I asked.

"There is no way. Aurora knew you wouldn't give him up by choice. She made other plans. He'll go to her . . . He'll go to her willingly."  
"No he wouldn't," I said, sounding like I was in denial. I knew what I was saying wasn't true. To save Luna, Austin would do anything. But the point was that we wouldn't let him.

"Yes he would," she said, "He would and he will."  
"Is there any other way to get Luna back?" I demanded.

"No . . . Aurora won't budge. She wants what she wants and she gets what she wants."  
"Well, not this time," I said just as I heard a phone go off. It wasn't mine though. I looked back at Rose as she pulled a cellphone out of her pocket.

_"Kate? . . . Really, oh my God that's great!" _she said in the phone and then to me, "Luna's back!"  
I stood straight up then, "Oh my God, that's amazing!" I exclaimed.

"I'm gonna do it," I faintly heard Vitani muttering to herself, "I'm gonna do it. I can't take this anymore. I'm gonna do it."  
_"How? . . . Oh-oh God . . . Are you sure?" _Rose said into the phone, causing me to give her my full attention, "_Well did you look everywhere? Like everywhere everywhere? . . . Okay, okay, calm down. We'll sort this out . . . Yes I'll tell her . . . Okay, we're on our way."_

"Well?" I asked when she shut the phone.  
"Luna's back," she said.

"Well that's great but I'm more concerned about that second part of the conversation," I said.  
"You're not going to like this . . ." she trailed off, biting her nail.

"Okay, now you have to tell me before I explode," I said.  
"He's gone," she said.

I already knew who she meant. "Who?" I demanded through my clenched teeth anyway.  
"You know who," I said, "Austin."

"He wouldn't."  
"He might've," she said.

"No - he couldn't. He - he wouldn't do that to me . . . He wouldn't do that to himself," I stuttered in panic. How could Austin do that to me? How could he make me live without him? How could he make me drive myself crazy with worry? And more importantly, how could he do that to himself? How could he possibly have such low self esteem that he'd willing become a Blood Donor?

"It seems likely. Luna's back and they can't find him anywhere," she said, "And that's not all . . . They found a note attached to Luna's baby carrier. It said _Thanks for my present. I'll make good use of it. _. ."

"No, no, no, no, no," I said, pulling at my hair in denial.  
"I'm sorry," she soothed, "Don't worry. We'll get him back."

"You don't get it do you?" I demanded, "He gave himself up. He doesn't _want _to be saved. He did this of his own freewill."  
"To save Luna," she reasoned, "Now that's she back . . ."

"No, he won't. He would've had to make some kind of arrangement with Aurora to get Luna back," I explaining, worry making my voice crack, "Once you make a deal with the devil there's no going back."

"Becca, you're talking crazy talk. You sound like Vitani," she said.  
I was about to snap at her that she was being horribly rude to say that in front of Vitani, when my eyes snapped to her corner. Which is when I realized that Vitani wasn't there anymore. She must've teleported away during our conversation.

"She's gone," Rose said, realizing it at the same time as me.  
"Where do you think she went?" I asked.

"That's not important now," she said, grabbing my arm. "We need to go help find Austin."  
"No!" I shouted, pulling my arm out of her grasp, "You don't get it! He doesn't want to be saved! He gave himself up! He gave up!"

"Becca, calm down . . . I know you're worried about Austin but you're starting to freak me out . . . You're acting crazy. I get that you're worried but Aurora won't do anything to Austin . . . Well, okay, I'm sure she'll _do _things to him but she won't hurt him."

I screamed angrily. Why would she even say that to me?  
"Oh . . . I'm sorry. That probably wasn't the best thing to say given the current situation," she apolgoized.

"This isn't happening," I moaned, "This _can't_ be happening."


	18. Disappear

***Jake's POV***

My life was finally on track. Nothing could ruin this winning streak I was on. Only something did.

It was a normal night at my normal college. Just a normal football game against a normal team that we intended to crush. I was first string on the football team at Boise State, one of the top college football teams in the country. I'd gotten a full scholarship.

Never had I ever questioned why I was so good at football. Why I was faster then the other guys. Why I was stronger then the other guys. Why I healed faster then most people. Why strategy was like a second nature to me. Why time seemed to stand still when I needed it to on the field. At least, not until that night.

It was the last quarter of the game and we were down by four points. One touchdown and we would win. There was barely a minute left on the clock. I knew I should be concentrating, but my eyes flickered over to where the cheerleaders were doing their routine. They had constructed a pyramid and at the very top was my girlfriend, Mari. She was dressed in her red and blue skimpy uniform and had her light brown hair pulled into a high pony tail, held in place by a blue ribbon. She smiled at me and I smiled back.

My eyes strayed back to the game just in time to see the ball flying at my face. I reached up with remarkably fast reflexes to catch it. Without a second thought, I tucked it under my arm and started running. I was running nearly the entire length of the field, going for a touchdown to win. I was plowing people out of my way to get there.

The stadium lights seemed brighter then I remembered them ever being. The cheers of the crowd louder. Everything seemed amplified for some reason I couldn't understand. It was all just so . . . dynamic. I felt like I was in a movie.

I didn't understand it. This had happened to me before but only during really important games, when I _really _wanted to win. Sure, I wanted to win this game, but it wasn't _that _dire. Which was why I didn't understand the feel of desperation that had flooded over me.

I was running as fast as I possibly could, knocking people out of my way as I went. People tried to tackle me several times but I was too fast. Everything around me seemed to be moving in slow motion as my vision went blurry. I kept running though. _It's just the lack of oxygen, _I told myself, _Relax. This has happened before. _So I kept running, knowing that soon I'd be on the sidelines, resting with the oxygen tank giving me air and Mari by my side. Everything would be all right.

But my body was beginning to feel heavy yet it didn't hinder my stride. My throat was sore and I could taste hot blood in my mouth. My chest stung from how hard I was trying to force air into my lungs. I kept pushing though. I felt desperate. Not to win, but to get to the other side of the field. To run those 360 feet at a dead sprint and just get there. I didn't know why.

I only knew I had done it because the volume had suddenly increased. I still felt like I had to keep running but I made myself stumble to a walk. I dropped the ball after the buzzer had gone off, indicating that the game was over. We had won.

My teammates crowded around me, shouting and slapping high fives. They approached me and I weakly raised my hand to tell them to back off. I stumbled backwards, away from them as my vision went all gray. I could hear someone shouting angrily as I fell back on my ass on the grass, struggling to get air into my lungs. I tore my helmet off as if it was preventing me from breathing somehow.

"Jake," came a voice sounding like it was in a tunnel, "Jake . . . Hey kid can you hear me?"  
It was coach, I could tell. There was someone crouched down right in front of me that I assumed was him but I couldn't tell for sure. My vision that had formally been gray was now bordering on black. All I could see was shadows.

The black shadow in front of me that I had guessed was coach reached a hand out to me. For some reason I didn't understand, I cowered away. I scrambled backwards, trying to get away. I felt trapped, claustrophobic. Like the world was closing in on me.

I threw myself back on the grass, hyperventilating, as darkness became the only thing I could see. No more shadows. Only blackness. I ran my hands over the ground, gripping the grass. I was just trying to find something real to keep me grounded here.

"Give him the oxygen," I heard coach's voice order.  
"Jake!" came a feminine voice yell frantically.

I felt something over my mouth and knew it was the plastic piece that connected to the oxygen tank. I breathed in the pure oxygen gratefully.  
"Jake!" Mari's voice came from somewhere near me. I felt a warm hand on mine and knew it was her's.

I was glad that Mari was there but I was more focused on desperately gasping in oxygen. I was getting kind of scared. Usually this took affect faster. But I was still blind. It had never been this bad before.

"Jake, Jake, it's going to be okay," I heard Mari's voice say, "It's going to be okay."  
Her voice was fading though. Slowly becoming more and more distant. Once I'd lost my hearing, it was like I didn't exist anymore. I couldn't see, I couldn't hear. But I was conscious, or maybe I wasn't. I wasn't sure. All I knew was that, if I was asleep, then I was defiantly dreaming. Because never I had been aware of what was going on in my sleep.

_Suddenly I could see again. Well, it wasn't really seeing. It was more like hallucinating. Standing in front of me in the darkness was my little sister, Rebecca. But she was like eight, dressed in shorts with scabby knees and braids in her hair. Her big blue eyes were sad. In her hands was a robin with a broken wing. _

_"Help jakey," she whimpered, holding the bird out to me and using the nickname she used to call me when she was little.  
"Becca?" I asked, confused. Something similar had happened nine years ago when she had found an injured bird in the backyard and wanted to save it. She had of course. _

_"Help," she whispered as she faded away. She appeared again, only she was older now. She looked about thirteen now. Her dark hair was in a ponytail and she wore a black hoodie and skinny jeans. She had tears running down her cheeks. _

_"Becca?" I asked, wanting to go to her but I seemed unable to move, "What's wrong?"  
She sobbed and crumpled to the ground. "Why won't you help me Jake?" she cried, "You're my big brother. You're supposed to help me."_

_"I want to help you," I said, "I do."  
"Why won't you help me?" she sobbed, ignoring me and then vanishing. _

_Another older version of her appeared. And I had _defiantly _never seen this in real life. If I had, Austin Kardigan would be dead. Because there was my little sister, looking the age she was now, dressed in some slutty lingerie. Her boyfriend, Austin, was there this time too. Sucking face with my baby sister. _

_I wanted to rip my own eyes out as she slid down so that she was now crouched in front of him, her hands on his hips. __She turned to me. She was wearing too much makeup and had hickeys on her neck. She smiled, revealing sharp canine teeth. She gave me a malicious look._

_"It's too late to save me now big brother," she said as her boyfriend threw his head back and laughed. She joined in as they both disappeared. _

_The next version of Becca looked pretty much the same age. She was wearing a white wedding dress that was ripped in several places and stained with blood. Her veil also had blood staining it. She had bruises around both of her eyes even though they weren't swollen. In her hands was a bouquet with a knife sticking out of it. It reminded me of an 'ex wife' costume I'd seen once. Only this wasn't funny or tacky, it was _scary. _The blood looked real and so did the knife. _

_"Becca?" I asked, confused.  
"Do something!" she screamed at me furiously, "You need to do something!" _

_"What do you want me to do?" I asked.  
"Do something!" she screamed again, yanking the knife out of her bouquet and flinging it at me. I saw it coming at my eyes and then it disappeared along with the bloody bride version of my sister. _

_Another Becca appeared. This one looked the same age again and was sitting in a rocking chair. She was dressed normally with jeans and a black t-shirt. Sitting on her lap was a little boy who looked about two. He had curly light brown hair and big silver eyes. Becca had her arms around him tentatively as she rocked back on forth. _

_"You could've stopped this," she told me in a quiet, calm voice.  
"Stopped what?" I asked. _

_"This," she said, looking down at the little boy on her lap.  
"Wait - you don't mean . . ." I trailed off in shock._

_The calm Becca nodded slowly and began to sing a lullaby in a foreign language. As she and the baby disappeared, I could still hear her voice drifting all around me. _

_My next hallucination wasn't of Becca. It was of my twin brother, Ken, and his girlfriend, Rose. The one he'd gone to live with instead of going to college. The red headed Rose was standing next to him with a smirk on her lips and a dagger in her hand. _

_"Jake," Ken said in his soft and serious voice, "You need to come back."  
"Come back?" I asked, "Come back where?"_

_"Back to Cold Springs," he said, "Bad things are going to happen. We need you."  
"Cold Springs?" I asked, "But I - I can't go back."_

_"Then we're all doing to die," he said in a grim voice as Rose plunged the dagger into his stomach.  
__"NO!" I screamed as they disappeared. His words still floated in the air around me though._

_"We're all going to die . . . "_

The blackness was suddenly washed away. I felt something cold and wet on my face and could feel liquid traveling down my throat. I chocked up what I could only assume was water and sat up automatically.

I looked around me to see that I was in the makeshift infirmary below the stadium, intended for players who had gotten hurt. Everything was white and the fluroscent lights shining down burned my eyes. I was laying on a gurney and there were people around me. A few of them I didn't recognize but most of them I did. Coach was there, and so was Mari, looking at me with concern. Hovering in the doorway were some of my teammates/friends, looking relieved that I was up. A guy who looked like he was apart of the medical staff was next to me, holding a bucket half full of water.

I pitched forward slightly and coughed a little bit more, trying to get the water out of my lungs. Once I did, I was still hyperventilating.  
"Easy kid," said Coach, putting a hand on my chest and gently pushing me back onto the gurney. I laid there, gasping for breath while Mari put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"You're okay," she soothed, "You're okay."  
"You passed out on us," Coach said, "Lack of oxygen'll do that to you."

"I-I need to go home," I managed.  
"We'll take you back to the dorm in a little while," my friend Colin promised, stepping forward out of the doorway along with my other friend Max.

"No . . . I need to go _home_," I insisted.  
"You mean back to New York?" Mari asked, seeming confused.

"Yes," I said.  
"Why silly, you can't go back to New York," she said, stroking my wet hair soothingly.

"You don't get it. I _need _to go back," I said.  
"He's still a little out of it," said a guy from the medical staff, "You'll have to give him a few minutes."

"No!" I shouted, bolting upright, "I need to go home _right now!"  
_"Just lay down Jake," Coach insisted, trying to push me back down gently, "Take a breather."

"No, no, no! I have to!" I insisted as he tried to keep me from getting up. When it didn't work several of my teammates came over to help out. It took our senior quarterback and two running backs to hold me down. I struggled relentlessly, screaming at them to let me go.

"Let me go!" I shouted, "I need to go home! My sister needs me! Let me _go!_"  
"Take it easy Jake," Mark, our quarterback and team captain, told me.

"No, no, no, I _can't! _My sister needs me! My brother needs me! I need to go home!" I screamed, "I need to help them!"  
"There, there, Jake," said a guy from the medical staff, "This'll help."

He put a plastic mask over my mouth, the one typically attached to an oxygen tank. As I breathed in my movements became slower and slower until my struggles halted completely. The guys holding me down let me go but I couldn't seem to make my muscles move in order to get up.

"That'll knock him out for a few hours . . . " I heard someone say, sounding far away. Which was when I realized that they hadn't given my oxygen that time. They had given me an anesthetic. The bastards had drugged me.

"It's okay Jake," I heard Mari soothe, "Just sleep Jake. It's going to be okay."  
I tried to say something but it just came out as unintelligible mumbling.

"Yep, it's working," Coach said. He sounded like he was in a very long tunnel.  
I tried to tell him he was a bastard but once again, murmuring was all that came out.

I could feel sleep taking over me. My senses were dulling and my eyelids felt heavy. I fought it as hard as I could. I couldn't go to sleep. I needed to save my family. It was futile though. As unconsciousness overtook me, my brother's words played over in my mind.

_"We're all going to die . . ."_


	19. Crazy Possesive

_***Becca's POV***_

"Now, explain to me how someone who was supposed to be under heavy surveillance is _gone," _I demanded in a snarl as I paced.

We were in the Council room, all of us. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, had been gathered from their various locations to come to this emergency meeting regarding my fiance's disappearance. I was having a full scale freak out, but it wasn't just me. Kate was furious and Mrs. Kardigan was absolutely murderous.

"Aella, he's _Austin_," my father tried to explain, "He has the blue fire. He can get out of anywhere if he wants to."  
I snorted in disgust at that. "Well now that he's gone what do you plan to do?" I snapped.

"Well . . . We believe that he gave himself up to the Arthasians to get Luna back," he said, "And we have to wait and see what we can . . ."  
"Ugh!" I groaned, throwing my hands up in the air in frustration and causing a blue lightening bolt to fly from my hands and strike the ceiling.

"Aella," my father said sharply, "This is a very delicate matter and we have to think things through before acting."  
"You're all useless!" I exclaimed heatedly.

"We're doing our best Aella," Prima said primly.  
I whirled at her. "Well your best isn't good enough _mother_. It never has been! Not when I died and not now!"

"Aella!" Zephorous rebuked.  
"Be quiet!" I screamed at him, angry tears building in my eyes, "It's true! All of it! You two are the worst leaders . . . and _parents _I've ever seen!"

"Aella!" my mother echoed, standing up.  
"You can't pretend it's not true!" I shouted, "As leaders, you let your most powerful weapon slip into the enemies hands. And as parents, you let the love of your daughters life get captured. Not to mention that your youngest daughter is not only completely _crazy _but she is also missing. So yeah, I think it's fair to say that you're doing a crappy job!"

"Aella . . ." my father trailed off.  
"Get me Aurora on the video chat," I commanded, stalking away from the table.

Nobody moved.

"Now!" I screamed, spinning around to look at everybody. The Council members, the guards, my future in-laws, my goddaughter, my parents, my friends . . . All looking at me in fear like _I _was the one who was being crazy. They were the crazy ones for not taking action already!

There was a bunch of scrambling around by the assistants and I turned my back to everyone, staring at a blank wall with my hands clasped behind my back. I waited and waited for them to get me Aurora on the monitor so I could scream at her.

"We have her," said Aldara, the vampire assistant.  
I heard the TV swing out from my left but didn't turn around.

_"This had better be good," _came the voice of the she-devil. _  
_Slowly, I turned around to see the person I hated more then anyone else on the planet. Aurora. She wasn't in her throne this time. She was lying down across an unmade bed, on her stomach, propped by her elbows. She didn't have any of her fancy jewlery on and her hair was less then imaculate. She appeared to be on a labtop by the view.

"Aurora," I snarled, "Where is he?"  
_"I'm assuming you mean Austin and I'm sorry to inform you that he's not here," _she snarled back.

"Don't lie to me," I hissed, "I know he's there."  
_"I'm not lying. He isn't here. He was but now he's gone. He was docile and cooperative for a bit before he attacked me and jumped out the window a little under an hour ago," _she grumbled_, "Don't worry though. I assure you I have everyone of my guards looking for him."_

"Do you really expect me to believe that he's not there?" I demanded.  
_"Yes. I really do. Because it's true. Honestly, would I be in this fine of a temper if I'd just had sex with your boyfriend?"_ she asked.

Well, I had to agree that she had a point. After having sex with Austin, I was never in that foul of a mood. But still . . . this whole thing was kinda sketchy.  
"I'm not sure if I believe you . . ." I mumbled, thinking and pacing.

_"You're Blood Bound with the little wretch aren't you?"_ she snapped, _"Go check if you don't believe me."_  
My God I'm stupid . . . The Bond. _Stupid, stupid, stupid, _I mentally kicked myself.

"You don't seem very upset," I said simply, "For someone whose greatest pawn in their plot has supposedly escaped."  
_"Oh I assure you I have nothing to worry about. I'm miffed at that little scoundrel for running off but it doesn't matter. He still did the Pentagram Ritual with me, he's forced to do whatever I tell him. So, once the guards locate him and bring him back, I'll just give him direct instructions _not_ to go anywhere."_

I tried not to freak out about that and took a deep breath. "You'll never succeed Aurora," I managed through my anger, closing my eyes, "You will _always _be a failure."  
_"You're wrong," _she snarled, _"I will be successful, but even if I wasn't somehow . . . I'd still be sleeping with your boyfriend."_

"Whore!" I screamed, my eyes flying open but she was gone. The screen was blank.

* * *

**SORRY SORRY SORRY! I know it's been FOREVER since i've updated . . . I have ideas for this but it's the fillers in between that I can't concentrate on. What can I say, I have the attention span of a butterfly. I know this chapter is short . . . I was going to do a 2nd half of Austin's POV but I figured I would just post this first and let you all know what's going on. Don't worry. I'll post Austin's part soon. **

**-Kate**


	20. Playing God

_**Austin's POV**_

I was running through the woods of France, which looked virtually like every other forest I'd ever been in. My feet were pounding against the uneven ground, my legs carrying me as fast as I could possibly go. I had to get out of here. I had to get . . . well somewhere. Anywhere really.

I'd been running for over two hours and I was starting to get tired. I'd lost the guards about a half an hour ago, but I'd wanted to be sure. I'd recently realized that I was incredibly _stupid. _Why on Earth had I even considered leaving Becca? Good God I was a fucking retard.

I had no idea where I was going from here though. I was stranded in the middle of France, _literally _running for my life. I knew I was going to have to contact Becca soon if I wanted to live . . . But I needed to find somewhere to hide where I could focus on her and not have to worry about running.

I ran for another thirty minutes or so before finally not being able go on anymore. I hunched over on myself, putting my hands on my knees to catch my breath. I closed my eyes and concentrated on Becca.

_"Becca . . ." _I thought. It took about oh . . . four point two seconds for her to respond.  
_"AUSTIN!" _her mental voice was a scream. A happy scream.

_"Becca I missed you so much."  
"Don't you _ever _do that to me again! Are you listening Austeralgo? I'm serious! I've been worried _sick _about you!" _

_"I know I was stupid, I know."  
"Hell yeah you were stupid! What were you thinking!"_

_"I was just trying to save Luna,_" I told her, completely understanding why she was mad at me. I wasn't making excuses, I knew I deserved her anger, I just wanted her to understand.  
_"I know, I know. But we had a plan! You shouldn't of done that! Kate had things under control before you went MIA. From now on, no more suicide missions, okay?"_

_"Agreed."  
"Good . . . But promise me one more thing. Never go back to Aurora again. I don't care if she's holding an entire orphanage hostage. You can't go back there. No matter what she does or who she threatens, we have other ways of dealing with her then giving ourselves up, okay?"_

_"Okay."  
"Do you promise?"_

_"I promise."  
_She sighed mentally. _"Thank you."_

For a moment no thoughts were sent. We were both just enjoying the presence of one another in each other's mind. I'd only been away from Becca for a day, but it felt like a lifetime. _Every _day in the Arthasian palace felt like a lifetime. The place just gave you that vibe.

_"I need to go __I tell Zephorous where you are," _she sent,"_. . . Where are you exactly?" _

_"Uh . . . Somewhere in the northern woods surrounding the Arthasian capitol?" _I said it sort of like a question.  
_"Not helpful Aussie," _she thought in irritation. I could sense her biting her lip through the bond. It was almost like being with her again.

_"After the day I've had, don't call me that,_" I warned. She didn't exactly answer. But I got a vague idea of her rolling her eyes. I distantly payed attention as she found Zephorous and told him where I was. He said that I had to find a town, a landmark, so they could come find me. I confirmed through Becca that I would.

Once I got out of that trance I looked up to see a person, a girl standing in front of me. She had witch tattoos. A black angel on her forehead with interlocked rings extending around her eyes. The rings wrapped around her arms an legs where they were visible. She wore a knee length black skirt with dirt on the edges and a loose black sweater with a hole in it. She looked . . . kind of homeless. Her dark brown hair was greasy and was in an endlessly long braid that reached well past her butt. There was dirt on her face and under her nails. Her purple eyes had shadows under them. She was tall and extremely thin. She looked about fifteen.

She didn't look like a threat, but I was getting a weird vibe from her. Especially since I was just outside of the Arthasian capitol. I put my hands up in defense just in case.

"Who are you," I growled.  
"Do you not already know? I know who you are Austeralgo Arturis Karodarus," she said,

I wasn't surprised of course that she knew who I was. Most immortals did. What surprised me was how she knew my full name. Not to mention she had a creepy voice. She didn't sound like a kid.  
"What are you doing here?" I demanded.

"I want to help you Austeralgo," she said.  
"Why should I trust you?" I asked.

"Why shouldn't you?"  
"Because I don't know you," I said.

"But I know you."  
"That doesn't make me feel safer about this situation," I informed her, prepared to fight her even if she appeared harmless. Nobody was stopping me from getting back to Becca.

"If you really love your Rebecca you'll have her stay away from this horrible place," she said.  
Something inside me snapped. Was she threatening Becca? My Becca?

"Don't threaten me," I snarled, allowing my palms to catch fire, "Or you'll regret it."  
"Oh I'm not threatening you Austeralgo," she said, "I'm warning you. If you care about your Rebecca and your people, you'll keep her away from this horrible, horrible place."

"Why?" I demanded, "Are you a psychic? Do you know something I don't?"  
She smiled faintly without revealing any teeth. "Oh Austeralgo. I know many things you do not. It would take many lifetimes to share them all with you."

"What do you know about Becca?" I growled, "Is she in danger?"  
"Oh yes. Grave danger. Which is why you must keep her away. If anything happens to her, the world will come to regret it."

"Why are you so cryptic?" I demanded, "Why can't you just _tell me_?"  
"That would be cheating," she said, "But you must listen to me Austeralgo. You have to protect Becca at all costs. No matter what, she can not die. Whatever it takes, keep her alive."

I snorted. Like I didn't already know that. I loved her more then anything; I would never let anything happen to her.  
"I know Austeralgo," she said as if reading my thoughts, "But now you must protect her for the sake of the world, not just yourself."

"Why? What's going to happen to the world if Becca dies?"  
"If anything happens to Rebecca, you know what will happen to you. You'll be lost without her and easily influenced by outside forces. That can not happen. Because soon Austeralgo the world is going to need you to save it . . . From an enemy you haven't even met yet. And without Rebecca, you won't be saving anybody."

So basically I was useless without Becca. I already knew that.

"Now promise me Austeralgo," she said, "That you'll do everything in your power to keep Rebecca from coming to this horrible place. Do you promise?"  
"I promise," I said.

"Good. Now do the world a favor and get out of this land as quickly as possible," she told me, "Run away as fast as you can."  
I had no problems with that.

She turned to leave without another word, gliding gracefully through the brush.  
"Hey wait," I called, taking a few steps towards her, "You never told me your name."

She turned to look at me over her shoulder She smiled thinly and her glowing purple eyes flashed mischievously at me. Darkly lashed purple eyes that I had seen thousands of times but only in four places. The same eyes that Prima had, that Vitani had. The same one's I'd seen in pictures of Aella and in paintings of the witch goddess.

"Maia," she said before vanishing.

* * *

**I know I know, I'm a horrible person. Don't bother putting it in a review, I hear it from my parents often enough. Anyway, I know how displeased many of you are with my less then frequent updating schedule. Like I said last time, I have the attention span of a fucking butterfly. I can't write unless I'm one hundred percent engaged in a story. And once I let a story slip, it's hard to get out of the slump and update again. But don't worry, I think I'm back on track with this story. I stayed up all night rereading all three just to get back in the swing of things. And now that I know where I'm going with this I've decided to just screw filler chapters and get right down to the action. Anyway, my many many apologies. I know I don't deserve it, but please review anyway . . . If I don't update in the next week, I give you all permission to PM me until I go crazy . . . But that's okay, I brought it upon myself. **

**-Kate**


	21. Bring Me To Life

_**Vitani's POV**_

I didn't like France. I never had. I didn't like the way the language sounded; it didn't flow right. I didn't like the way the place smelled; like musk and wine. I didn't like the way the people looked at me; like I was a freaky foreigner. Another reason I probably hated France was most likely because it housed the capitol of Arthasia.

Whatever the reason, I wasnt happy to be in France, even if I wasn't actually _in _the capitol. I wasn't far from it though. I was in a town about five hundred miles away though. Despite the fact that it was separated by endless miles of dense woods, it still wasn't a safe place for me to be. I didn't care.

Six hours ago, I'd been in my house back in Nero. Now I was here, in France. My teleporting was a thousand times better then it was in the past. I knew none of my family or friends would even consider coming out here, so close to the capitol. That's one of the reasons I had come here.

In a foul mood, I paced around the village late at night. Dressed in clothes my mother would hate; black skinny jeans with slits in them and a black hoodie with a skull on it. The hood up. That was probably the only thing my mother would like about my outfit. If I had my hood up then she didn't have to look at me.

I roamed around the little empty town in the dark, not sure what I was even doing here. Aurora had told me to come see her if I changed my mind. But I hadn't changed my mind . . . Or had I? I didn't really know anymore. I just knew that I was sick of my old life. I was sick of the confusion, the insanity, the judgement. I couldn't take it anymore.

But now that I was here, I couldn't go through with it. Truly, I didn't want to be apart of Aurora's twisted empire and help her ruin the world. All I wanted was to be respected. To not have people whisper that I'm crazy every time I pass. To not have to read about a fictitious mental breakdown of mine in the papers. To not have people talk to me like they're afraid I'm about to snap.

The sad part was that I couldn't blame them for that. I _felt _like I was about to snap. I didn't understand why I felt this way. Ever since I fed from Attis that time I'd slowly been feeling less and less in control. Like I was driven by some force I couldn't comprehend to act out.

"It's because you haven't fed from him since."

Fangs bared I spun around to see a girl standing there. She looked about my age - maybe a little older. She was taller and very spindly looking. She was dressed in a black skirt with chains hanging off of it, a form fitting black blouse with rose imprints on it, fishnet stockings, and black boots almost up to her knee. Her dark hair was braided and fell over her shoulder and easily passed her waist. Her eyes were outlined in heavy eyeliner and were scarily familiar - I saw those eyes every time I looked in the mirror. Purple glowing witch eyes.

"Who are you?" I snarled.  
"Certainly you must recognize me Vitani," she said in an eerie voice, "You see my eyes every time you look in the mirror. Every time you look at your mother."

"You're a fucking creeper," I growled, flashing my fangs, "Get away from me before I make you regret it."  
"I only wish to help you Vitani," she said, "I only wish to help. You don't have to be this way."

"You don't know anything about me," I snapped even though she obviously did. Seeing as she knew my name.  
"Oh Vitani don't be so harsh. You're always so hostile," she said disapprovingly, "You never let anybody help you."

"I don't need help," I hissed.  
"Oh little war demon don't you see that you do? There's only one person who can help you besides yourself," she said.

"Let me guess," I sneered, "You?"  
"No. Attis. Your Blood Donor," she said.

I felt my body freeze. Attis. I missed him. We'd gotten into a fight before this whole mess started . . .  
"What do you know about Attis?" I snarled defensively.

"I know that you love him. I know that he loves you. And I know that he's suffering just as much as you are right now," she said calmly.  
Attis was suffering? I knew he was upset but suffering? I didn't realize he was suffering?

"What do you mean?" I demanded, "Is someone hurting him?"  
"Yes. You. The longer you go without feeding, the more you hurt him. He feels rejected because you won't feed from him. He feels like you don't need him. He feels like he's failed you somehow."

I was surprised. I hadn't ever thought that Attis would feel rejected because of my refusing to feed from him. I thought he'd be happier if I didn't feed from him. I thought he'd like it better this way. He couldn't possibly _want _to be a Blood Donor. He'd even said that he didn't want to be one of my 'toys?' Besides, who would want to be a Blood Donor? It was degrading wasn't it? Especially for a guy.

"It's far from that little war demon," she told me, as if reading my mind, "Your society is cruel towards Blood Donors for absolutely no reason. In my view of the world they should be highly respected for their sacrifices. They care so much for their vampires that they're willing to sacrifice some of their life blood to them. That's dedication. They should be honored, not demeaned."

"But Attis couldn't want that . . . " I trailed off, confused.  
"But he does. He wants you to be happy Vitani. He knows that if you don't feed from him you'll just slowly lose your mind. He wants you to get better," she explained, "Anyone whose Blood Bound would feel the same way."

"Blood Bound?" I choked out, "But Attis and I aren't -"  
"Denial is a dangerous thing Vitani. You have to accept that you and Attis are Blood Bound. That he belongs to you and, in turn, you belong to him. T'is the nature of these matters."

"But if Attis and I are Blood Bound then that means we're soul mates," I spluttered, "But we can't be - I love Athan too."  
"There are many different types of Blood Bonds just as there are many different types of love," she told me.

She was speaking in riddles and I really just didn't get it. I guessed that she was some kind of oracle or prophetess. Maybe even a mind reader. But of course, anybody with that much knowledge just _has _to speak in riddles. Personally I was getting sick of all the riddles. They gave me headaches.

"So . . . You're saying that if I feed from Attis I'll get better?" I asked.  
She nodded.

"But he's all the way back in New York," I said, "And he hates me."  
"He doesn't hate you," she told me, "He just needs to feel like you love him, like you need him. Don't you think he deserves that? To feel needed and loves?"

"But how can I feed from him if he's so far away!" I exclaimed.  
"Bring him to you then," she suggested, "You can teleport, can't you?"

Oh right.

"But before I go, just one last thing," she said, "Don't ever sell yourself short Vitani. Don't ever think that you're not as good as your sister just because she's the Lost Witch. You're just as important to the world. You'll see . . . Someday."

She turned and left then. Her boots made no sound against the pavement.  
"Who are _you_?" I muttered under her my breath.

She turned to look at me with the eerily familiar purple eyes. "Let's just say that you're apart of me," she said. "Arrivederci il mio diavolo piccolo di guerra."  
With that last word, she seemed to disapear into the streets of this little town. She just evaporated, like mist.

But what did she mean that I was 'apart of' her. And those eyes. Purple eyes like that could only be obtained by a descendant of Maia. And there were only a handful those. My mother, Aella, myself, my sister Belinda, my nephews Jake and Ken, and my niece Lydia. And out of those few, only three actually had the purple eyes. Plus Aella lost her purple eyes when she was reincarnated in a different bodily form. So that just left me and my mother . . .

And Maia herself.

* * *

**See a patter forming? Hmm who will the mysterious Maia visit next? You'll just have to wait and see . . . **


	22. Fall For You

_**Vitani's POV**_

I was back in New York within two seconds of Maia vanishing. I was on Attis' front porch, a mansion a few blocks away from my own house. Not quite as big or grand as our's but still a very nice place. I was pounding violently on the door, praying that someone was home. The lights were on - meaning they _should _be home. But I knew that Mayor Payne didn't exactly care about conserving energy. I kept knocking even harder. Please, please, let Attis be home.

The door finally opened to reveal Mina Payne, Attis' older sister. She must've been back from rehab. She looked a little bit like her younger brother. She had long pin-straight blonde hair that was the same shade as Attis', but her eyes were more of a blue-green color, as opposed to his emerald green color. I never liked Mina, mostly because she never seemed to like me. And she hated me even more recently.

"Oh if it isn't Princess Vitani," she purred sinisterly.  
"Back from rehab so soon Mina?" I hissed back, "What? They have a 'no skanks' policy?"

"Don't you have a padded cell to get back to?" she retorted.  
"Don't _you _have a NA meeting to get to?" I snarled.

Her lips twisted into a grimace. "What do you want?" she demanded.  
"Where's Attis?" I answered her question with a question.

"In his room. Moping. That's all he ever does anymore," she growled, the fire back in her eyes, "Thanks to you."  
"You sure he's not depressed because he has to look at your ugly face every day?" I countered, my voice a snarl. I was _so _not in the mood for this shit.

"Well since I'm so ugly I better close the door," she sneered sarcastically, "You know, so your _gorgeous _eyes don't melt looking at my hideous face."  
She was about to close the door in my face but I wasn't going to let that happen. I put my foot out to stop the door and then used that foot to fling it back open. The door swung backwards and banged into the wall. I snarled at Mina, low in my throat, and bared my fangs at her. I clenched my fist as I caused a bolt of lightning to light up the sky, followed by a thunderous boom.

"Mina," I snarled, "Let me inside. _Now_. I'm _not _asking anymore."  
She looked scared for a moment but she quickly covered that up with a sneer. "Fine. Whatever."

With a triumphant smirk I strode inside. She slammed the door behind me before stalking off, grumbling to herself. I immediately ran up two flights of stairs as fast as I could, straight to Attis' room. I pounded my fist violently on the door.

"What?" Attis mumbled from the other side, sounding depressed.  
"Attis! I need to talk to you," I called

"I told you I was done with you Vitani," he growled, "Now leave me the fuck alone."  
"No. This is important. Attis _please _let me in," I begged.

"I said no," he snarled, "Now get out of my house."  
Okay, begging over. I should've known that that wouldn't work. Attis didn't give in to begging or listen to reason.

"Attis Payne you open this fucking door before I break it down!" I shouted, pounding on it even harder, kicking it once.  
"Do it then," he snapped, "Cause I'm not opening it."

"Fine. You asked for it," I snapped, backing up from the door slightly before kicking it. The force of the blow not only caused a small area of the door to crack, but also caused the door to rip off the hinges. It toppled inward and I immediately jumped inside, landing on the fallen door. I hadn't been quiet so I assumed that Mr. and Mrs. Payne weren't home; or else they probably would've come running.

I looked about the room and my eyes couldn't focus on anything except Attis, standing on the windowsill of his large, open window. The cold night time breeze from outside played with his blonde hair His eyes were wild as he hung in the open window, his hands holding the top frame.

"Attis! Get down from there!" I shouted the second I saw him and took an automatic step forward.  
"Don't come any closer," he told me, "If you come near me, I'll jump. I swear to God, I'll do it."

That was how I knew he was serious. Attis wouldn't swear to God unless he meant.

"Are you crazy now too?" I demanded of him, "This is a third story window! You'll kill yourself!"  
Theoretically, he could use a spell to save himself. But he wouldn't jump out a window if he was planning on saving himself.

"Exactly. If you come near me. I'll kill myself," he vowed.  
"Attis what the hell is wrong with you? Seven hours ago you were relatively sane. Now you've suddenly become suicidal?"

"I'm not suicidal. But if you touch me, I will be," he told me.  
"Attis have you lost your God damn mind!" I exclaimed, taking an unconscious step closer to him.

"No. But if threatening to commit suicide will keep you away from me," he said, "Then so be it."  
"Do you really hate me that much?" I asked, tears burning behind my eyes.

"Yes," he said, his voice cracking with emotion, "I hate you _so _much. I don't even know why. But every time I look at you, every time I think about you. I just get so _angry. _I just want to put my fist through a wall or rip someone's head off. But I'm not a vampire, I can't do those things. I can't do anything about all this . . . hatred. And it's killing me. I'm angry _all the time. _I don't remember what it feels like to be happy anymore. I haven't laughed or smiled in weeks. Nothing is funny to me anymore. The only emotion I feel anymore is anger . . . and hatred. And it's driving me _insane. _I can't take all this built up anger anymore."

I remembered back to the night I'd bitten Attis. He'd been laughing and smiling constantly that day; until I bit him. I remembered sitting in the corner of the closet, crying and screaming. "_I feel angry all the time." _I'd said those words. I'd _felt _those words. I knew exactly what Attis was talking about. That was how I'd felt. But now, now that I knew that there was a cure for my insanity, I didn't feel quite so . . . insane. But if Attis killed himself . . . I'd never be sane again. Not just because I needed his blood . . .But because I needed _him._

"Attis - I understand what you're feeling. I _really _do. I've felt those things before. But you have to _listen to me Attis_," I cried desperately, "Suicide isn't the answer. You only feel this way because I haven't fed from you. We're Blood Bound and if I don't feed from you . . . We'll both slowly go insane."

"Well you can go insane without me then," he snarled, "Because I'll never let you drink from me again. I'm not going to let you use me again."  
"I'm not using you Attis!" I tried to reason as tears fell freely from my eyes, "Please Attis, you have to believe me. I'm not using you. I _love _you. I love you so much. Please. You have to believe me."

He glared at me with a hatred so intense it made the tears fall from my eyes even more violently. "Well, I don't," he said flatly, his fingers loosening their grip on the window pane. He leaned back slightly, as if he was going to let himself fall.

"Attis _no!_" I screamed, falling to my knees, "Attis please! You can't _do this! _It'll kill me! I love you so much it hurts . . . If I lost you, I'd never be happy again. I would cry . . . _every day, _for the rest of forever. Every day I'd eat all your favorite foods - and cry. I'd listen to your favorite songs and watch your favorite movies . . . over and over again, just to remember you, even though it would make me cry. I stare at my bedroom door, crying, and waiting and _praying _for you to come walking in like you always do. I would spend _every night_ alone in my room, looking at pictures of you until I cried so hard I couldn't breathe. I'd think about you every minute of every day, refusing to ever let your memory die. I would spend the rest of my life _crying _over you . . . Until I couldn't take it anymore. Until I had to kill myself just to make the pain go away."

"You don't mean that," he said, his voice cracking.  
"Yes I do!" I cried, "Do you think I'd make all that up? Attis . . . why don't you understand that I'm in love with you? That I need you more then water or food or oxygen."

"No you don't," he said, his grip loosening further, "You never needed me for anything."  
I didn't understand how he could say that or even think that. I'd never needed anything or anyone so much in my life. I'd meant every word I'd said about needing him. I _did _need him more then water or food or oxygen. Dying of thirst or starvation would be less painful then loosing him. I'd rather suffocate then loose him. How could he possibly think I didn't need him?

Maia's words floated around inside my head. _"He feels rejected because you won't feed from him. He feels like you don't need him. He feels like he's failed you somehow." _I froze for a second thinking, going back over what Attis had said. "_I hate you so much. I don't even know why. But every time I look at you, every time I think about you I just get so angry." _

It all clicked for me then. What if I _wasn't_ the person Attis was angry at? What if the person he really hated . . . was himself?

"You don't really hate me, do you?" I realized, "You hate yourself."  
He looked away from me and I saw tears glistening faintly in his eyes.

"That's it, isn't it? You . . . hate yourself. You think . . . you think that you've failed me," I said, recalling Maia's words, "That it's your fault that I'm crazy. You feel like I rejected you, like I don't love you. That's why you're willing to commit suicide. Because you hate yourself."

He finally looked back at me, his eyes still sparkling with unshed tears, as he slowly stepped down from the windowsill. He stood on the floor, across the room from me and suddenly sank to the ground and began to sob. It took a second for my mind to register what I was seeing. Attis Payne . . . crying. I'd known Attis since we were little kids, and even back then he'd never cried. Now, here was fifteen-going-on-sixteen Attis, sobbing on his bedroom floor. That's how I knew I was right about him hating himself.

As soon as my mind began to function again, I got off the floor and ran over to him, sinking down next to him. I wrapped my arms around him was surprised that he didn't pull away. He just continued to sob. It wasn't long before I started to cry as well. Seeing him like this, knowing it was my fault . . . It just tore me up inside. It _killed _me.

"It's just that - that I never . . . never do anything right," he sobbed, "I . . . I can't do any-any thing. I-I suck at every - every thing. I hurt everybody. The only thing . . . the only thing I ever did right was choosing you. But-but all I did was ruin everything f-for you too. I-I'm like a virus, or a plague. I ruin _everything. _I ru-ruined your life. B-because of me you're crazy. A-and it kills me to sit around and w-watch you lose your mind . . know - knowing that it's my fault. Ju-just like everything else."

I began to cry even more violently. He wasn't just feeling this way because I hadn't fed from him. He'd been having these thoughts for a long time. _"I can't do anything. I suck at everything. I hurt everybody." _Those thoughts had been around long before I'd enhanced them by not feeding from him. _"I'm like a virus, a plague. I ruin everything." _He really did hate himself. And I'd only made it much worse by not feeding from him. By rejecting him like that.

"Oh Attis it's not your fault," I spoke mostly clearly through my tears, "It's my fault. I didn't want to admit that we were Blood Bound because it would mean that we were meant to be together . . ."  
"Y-you were r-right not to want . . . not to want to be with me," he said as he cried.

"No no Attis that's not it!" I exclaimed, feeling even worse, "I want to be with you, I really do. I love you. It's just that I didn't want to hurt Athan. It's my fault. _My _fault. Not your's. I was the one being selfish - acting like I deserved both of you. Hell, I don't deserve either one of you."

"D-don't be stupid Vittie," he managed, "I-I'm the one who doesn't . . . doesn't deserve you."  
"Yes you do!" I tried to reason, "You do. No matter what anyone says . . . You're perfect. Perfect for me."

"N-no I'm not. I'm ugly and stupid and I-I can't do anything right," he chocked out.  
Sirens were flashing in my mind. All this low self-esteem he was feeling . . . It couldn't be good. When I got the chance, I had to tell someone. My mother or his mother or even Becca.

"None of that is true," I told him, stroking his hair comfortingly, "You're amazing. To me, everything you do is amazing."  
"H-how can you say that?" he managed between his sobbing, chocking breaths, "I-I've never d-done anything amazing. I'm not am-amazing or special or any-anything."

"Yes you are. You're so amazing. Nobody I know is at skilled with a bow as you are. And no one I know is as good a tracker as you are," I soothed, "Or has eyes as pretty as yours. No one is as clever as you are, or as cunning as you are. No one kisses me like you do. And no one has ever, ever, made me feel the way you make me feel."

"You mean crazy?" he sniffed.  
"No. You don't make me feel crazy," I said softly, "You make me feel important and loved. You make me feel supported and safe. You make me feel . . . _special._"

He physically responded to that last word. He lifted his emerald green, bloodshot eyes to mine. Tears clung to his eyelashes and streaked his pink cheeks. He'd never looked more beautiful to me. I wasn't sure why. Maybe because I felt like he was finally comfortable enough with me to cry in front of me.

"R-really?" he asked.  
"Yes," I said, my voice giving away how elated I was that he was finally starting to believe me, "Yes, yes, a million times yes. And I want to make you feel special too. I want to make you feel better."

"An-and how do you plan to do that?" he asked. Usually when he said those words he'd be challenging and sarcastic. Now, he just . . . wanted to know.  
"By drinking from you," I said, "If you'll let me."

Ever since I'd seen Attis hanging in the open window, I'd felt more sane. Because I had something to focus on. But I knew I wasn't cured yet. I could feel the insanity and darkness lurking in the back of my mind, waiting for me to lose my focus so they could take over my brain again. I needed this cure just as badly as Attis.

He nodded slightly but didn't say anything.  
"Really?" I asked. I was surprised he'd finally given in.

He still didn't speak. Just nodded and bit his lip, looking at the wall.  
"Don't worry," I said as I gently pushed him back so that he was laying on his back across the floor, "I'm not going to hurt you."

He still didn't say anything as I carefully laid down across him. I was doing my best not to be rough with him, like I'd been last time. The last thing I wanted to do was to make him think that I didn't care about him or how he felt. This low self-esteem thing he was experiencing was _real. _Not just Blood Bound withdrawal insanity. The withdrawal had just made it worse.

He closed his eyes as if he was awaiting something painful.  
"Don't be scared," I whispered softly, brushing his hair back from his eyes, "I promise not to hurt you."

Gingerly, I pressed my lips against his neck, and let my fangs snake out to touch the skin there. I wasn't sure how to do this without hurting him so I decided that my best plan would just be to make it quick, if I couldn't make it painless. I sunk my teeth into his jugular and he flinched.

My eyes fell closed as the blood began to seep into my mouth. Oh God, how had I gone so long without Attis' blood? We _were_ Blood Bound after all, meaning his blood was s_upposed_ to taste better then most to me. But that wasn't the only thing. As the blood went down my throat I felt like it was filling me with . . . something. Life or energy or love. Something. Something that cleared away all the darkness lurking in my mind. I imagined someone with a flashlight roaming around inside my head, pointing the light in all the dark corners, chasing away all the bad thoughts. Making me sane again. Making me me again.

I tried to focus on Attis while all of this was happening, to make sure I wasn't hurting him. He was whimpering and I wasn't sure if it was because he was in pain or because it felt so good. He wasn't struggling though, so I didn't think I was hurting him. Still, I wasn't too sure. So I just stroked his hair and tried to soothe him as best I could.

I didn't drink for very long. I was too afraid of drinking too much like last time. I pulled my fangs out of his neck when I'd had enough and then began to lick the wound I'd just created, to clean the blood off of it. He whimpered some more as my tongue touched the bite marks, and I made cooing noises to comfort him. When I was done, I pulled back to look down at him.

"Shhhh," I purred, petting his hair, "Shhhhh baby. It's all over. I'm not going to hurt you anymore."  
He made a face at my fawning. The kind of face he used to make whenever I tried to take care of him or did something he wasn't strong enough to do. A kind of embarrassed and annoyed face. "I know that," he grumbled.

I couldn't help but smile. That was my Attis.

"How do you feel?" I asked gingerly.  
"Fine, fine," he mumbled, wiping at his eyes, embarrassed of his tears. That's how I knew he was back to normal. I also knew that those feelings of self-hatred were still lurking in the back of his head, but now that I'd drank some of his blood and injected some of my venom into him, those feelings weren't as severe. I knew I still had to get him some help, but I was sure that, as long as I kept drinking from him, they wouldn't become dangerous again for a while. As long as I got him some help soon.

"We have to go," I said suddenly, realizing it. Now that my sanity was back, I realized that there was so much I had to do. Damage control, lots of damage control But first, I _had _to warn Becca about what Aurora was planning. I had to go to the Council, surely Becca would be there. Unless she'd gone after Austin, in which case, it was back to France for me. Joy.

"Where?" he asked.  
"To the Council," I said, "I have to warn them about Aurora."

"Do I have to go?" he asked apprehensively. His voice wasn't a whine, which made me pretty sure that I knew why he didn't want to go. He didn't want anybody to see the bite mark on his neck. He didn't want people to know that he was a Blood Donor. Attis wasn't exactly an A-list celebrity but he was in the public eye on occasion, thanks to me and his father. But I think we both knew that once people realized he was my Blood Donor he'd be hounded by paparazzi and media as well.

"Yes," I said, although I wanted to give in to him and let him stay, "I can't leave you here alone. Aurora might hurt you to spite me. You have to come with me to Hades, where it's safe."  
"I can take care of myself," he mumbled, seeming annoyed.

"Yeah, but _I _can take care of you better," I said, "Now let's go. Before it's too late."


	23. Never Surrender

**Becca's POV **

Holding my arms tightly around myself, I paced back and forth across an empty hallway outside the Council room, alone, my eyes on the floor. I was sick with worry. My Austin was stranded in the woods of France, too close to Aurora for my tastes. Dangerously close. Everyone was doing their best to find him, but first he needed to find himself. And by that I mean he had to find a landmark of some kind. So we would know where to teleport to to pick him up from. I just hoped we could find him soon, before Aurora did.

"What a beautiful ring," came an unfamiliar voice.

I looked up to see a young girl standing there, around Vitani's age, maybe a little older. She had long dark brown, neatly braided in a long rope that fell over her shoulder. She had a witch tattoo on her forehead of a black angel that looked a little bit like the fairy tattoo Vitani had. She was tall, probably around my height, and lanky. She was dressed in a floor length black gown and had a diamond choker around her neck. Her braided hair was adorned with dark purple lillies. Dark purple lillies that matched her glowing purple eyes.

I'd seen those eyes before. Countless times. Every time I looked in the mirror, back when I was Aella, I'd seen those eyes. Every time I looked at my mother, I saw those eyes. Every time I looked at Vitani, I saw those eyes. This girl looked a lot like a lot of the women in my family. She had tattoos like Vitani, tan skin like me, and hair as dark as my mother's. And eyes identical to all of ours.

"Can I help you?" I asked warily. If it hadn't been for the eyes, I would've just assumed she was just some royal's child. The Council building was crawling with royals now. All sorts of mayors and lords and countesses were here. My father Zephorous had ordered a state of emergency after he'd found out Aurora and Austin had completed some Pentagram Ritual. I knew it was just some kind of vampiric promise ritual. The problem was we didn't know what he'd promised. Hence, the state of emergency.

"I was just admiring your ring," she said, "It's quite beautiful."  
"Uh thanks. My boyfr- my fiancee got it for me," I corrected myself, still suspicious, as I took a moment to gaze at my engagement ring.

"It's lovely," she said.  
"Do I . . . Do I know you?" I asked, struck with this sense of familiarity. Like I knew this girl. Maybe it was just the eyes.

"More or less," she said vaguely.  
"Well um . . . who are you?" I asked.

"A relative of your's," she told me.  
"Oh." I said, "I thought you looked familiar. Are you a . . . cousin of mine?"

"On your mother's side," was all she said. It could've been a confirmation but it sounded kind of like she was answering a different question.  
"Well . . . it's nice to meet you," I said.

"Oh no. The pleasure is all mine Princess Aella," she said, doing a little curtsy.  
"Uh . . . Thank you," I said.

"May I ask a favor of you princess?" she asked.  
Uh oh. "Um sure," I mumbled.

"Listen to Vitani. Listen to Austeralgo," she said, "Listen to their warnings."  
"Wait - what?" I stammered out, surprised by the sudden change of the mood of the conversation. It had been all casual about five seconds ago but now . . .

"Just listen to what Vitani and Austeralgo say to you," I said.  
"How - how do you know them?" I demanded.

"Of course I know them. Everyone knows Princess Vitani and Prince Austeralgo," she said kindly.  
Right . . . "But what are you talking about? Warnings?" I asked.

"I better get going," she said, "Vitani's going to be here any minute."  
"Wait - how do you know that?" I demanded.

"Just take their warnings seriously," she said and then suddenly, she was gone. Seeing people evaporate was something I was pretty used to. And cryptic warnings weren't something I was unfamiliar with ether. But this chick had freaked me out a bit.

Especially since about two seconds later Vitani walked in, followed by Attis. It wasn't so weird that she'd found the hallway I was sulking in, but it was a little weird that that weird girl had predicted her arrival. There was Vitani right there, just as the girl had predicted. She was dressed in black ripped jeans and a black skull hoodie, something I'd never seen her dressed in at a Council. She was usually cloaked when she was here. Attis trailed behind her, dressed in simple jeans and a red hoodie, looking tired and pale. On his neck was a telltale vampire bite that made me gape. Vitani had bitten him! She'd _finally _bitten him!

"Becca!" she gasped out, rushing over to me and hugging me. I stood there, frozen. Vitani had never hugged me before. She wasn't a hugger. Just by nature.  
"Vitani, what's wrong," I asked.

"Nothing. I'm just - I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for the way I acted and the things I said," she told me as she pulled back, "I was sick. But I'm better now."  
I let my eyes wander back to Attis for a brief moment. "I'm glad," I said, "And I forgive you."

"Thank you," she said, smiling, "But that's not the only reason I'm here. I came to tell you more about what Aurora said to me."  
"What? What did she say?" I demanded, intrigued. Especially since the strange girl's warnings.

"She has this whole plan. To overthrow the Azimons and take over the world. I know, world domination, what a cliche. But anyway, she plans to enslave the humans. There's this special date she told me about where this . . . phenomena is going to take place. It's not supposed to be possible. I still don't believe that it _is _possible. But I've heard legends about it before. Supposedly on this day, the sun and the moon will both be visible in the sky at the same time."

"That doesn't sound so insane," I said. "Ever heard of an eclipse?"  
"Becca let me finsih!" she exclaimed, "This isn't an eclipse. On this day the sun will be visible in the sky at night. And so will the moon. Usually the sun outshines the moon and makes it light out. But not on this day. On this day the sun will be visible at night, and it won't illuminate anything."

"That's not possible," I dismissed. But then I thought of the girl's warning.  
"I'm not sure if it is either. But I've heard legends . . ." she mumbled, "You've probably heard them too. You know, the one's about Hollow Sun."

Hollow Sun. I had heard of that. In the immortal world, Hollow Sun was doomsday, the apocalypse, Armageddon. The day the world could end. The day the Blue Flame had to battle some kind of unknown force and save the world from destruction. Whether it meant physical destruction, or just the end of life as we knew it, no one was sure. It could mean either.

"So what does any of this have to do with Aurora's plan?" I asked.  
"On Hollow Sun Austin's powers will be stronger then they've ever been before," she explained, "At the moment, his powers aren't exactly of epic proportions. He's just kind of like a full vampire with witch powers. And although the blue fire can reach temperatures higher then any achieved by witch magic, it really isn't _that_ destructive, in theory. But on Hollow Sun, his powers are supposed to be increased ten fold. Making him unstoppable."

I did not like the way this was sounding. "And this is all relevant to Aurora . . . how?" I asked.  
"_Somehow _Aurora was able to predict the day of Hollow Sun. I don't know how she did it. But she did. And on that day . . . She's going to use Austin's powers to take over the world."

"Austin would never . . ." I trailed off.  
"She forced him to do the Pentagram Ritual, didn't she? She told me she was going to," she said, "If he agreed . . . Then she could make him do _anything._"

"Oh God . . . Oh God . . ." I mumbled.  
"It gets worse. Aurora's going after Kate too," she said.

"Wait Kate? Why would she want Kate?" I demanded. Aurora had never given any indication of wanting Kate. And besides, Kate couldn't even use her powers.  
"Because Kate's the Dark Maiden. She's a big part of the Hollow Sun prophecy. Her powers will be enhanced that day too. Aurora needs her to help take over the world," she told me.

"Well then . . . We'll just have to keep Kate away from her until then," I said, "She's here. We can keep her safe."  
Then Vitani began to cry. "No we can't. It's too late for that. Aurora . . . Aurora planned for _everything. _She knew Austin would give himself up for Luna. But she still needs Kate. Which is why . . . which is why Aurora poisoned her."

My mind blanked for a second before I processed everything at once. "AURORA POISONED LUNA!" I screamed at her, "AND YOU _KNEW _ABOUT IT! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME EARLIER!"  
She began to sob harder and Attis came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. Still, she cried on. "I wanted to! But - but you wouldn't _believe _me! I wouldn't told you everything! But Aurora was right! Nobody believed _anything _I said! Because I was crazy! That was the only reason Aurora told me all this stuff. Because she knew nobody would believe me if I told them anyway!"

"Kate - We have to tell Kate," I said, in panic mood, "We have to find a cure. We have to -"  
"Becca _wait_!" she said, grabbing my wrist, "It's no use. We don't know what kind of poison Aurora gave her. All I know is that it will slowly kill her . . . Over a week's time. And the only person with the cure is Aurora. If Kate wants the cure to save Luna . . . She has to preform the Pentagram Ritual with Aurora. And agree to help her take over the world."

"Oh . . .Oh God," I half choked, tears leaking from my eyes as I sunk down to the floor. "Aurora's going to do it. She's going to win. She's too smart for us. She thought of _everything._"  
"No Becca - don't give up," Vitani said, "I have a plan."

"A plan?" I repeated. I knew Vitani was clever . . . But what plan could possibly counter Aurora's fool proof plan.  
"Yes. A plan," she said, crouching down in front of me, "Becca, you're the Lost Witch. You're the only person who can turn off Austin's powers. If you turn off his powers on Hollow Moon . . ."

"But I can't!" I exclaimed, "If I do . . . He won't be able to battle whatever forces he's supposed to battle. And we'll all die."  
"Not necessarily. I thought about that too. What if this battle Austin's supposed to fight . . . what if it's against himself?" she suggested.

"What are you talking about?" I demanded.  
"What if the forces that are supposed to destroy the world are Austin and Kate. I mean, on Hollow Moon, they'll have that kind of insane power. And Aurora will be controlling them. Maybe they're supposed to fight against themselves. Try and fight against the mind control Aurora will have over them."

"You mean like . . . an internal battle?" I asked.  
"Exactly," she said.

"But . . . What if you're wrong. I . . . I can't take that chance," I said, "The whole world is at stake."  
"But you _have to _Becca. If you don't . . . Aurora will win. She'll take over the world. She'll enslave the humans," she said, putting her hand on my knee and looking into my eyes, "Becca you _have to _do this."

I debated about it mentally for a minute. If I didn't do this . . . Aurora would rule the world, I'd never see Austin or Kate again, the human race would be enslaved, Azimons would most likely be persecuted. The only people who wouldn't be affected would be the Arthasians . . . And I could care less about them.

But if I did this and Vitani was wrong . . . Some force of evil crap could destroy the world. And we could all die. Either way, everyone I cared about would suffer. I made my choice then. I would turn off Austin's powers on Hollow Moon. I would take the chance.

"Okay. I'll do it," I said.  
"Oh thank God," she sighed in relief as if she'd been expecting a different answer.

"So when is Hollow Moon?" I asked.  
"October thirty-first," she told me.

"That's Austin and Kate's birthday," I mumbled.  
"They're _eighteenth_ birthday," she added.

"Oh my God . . . oh my God that's this Saturday!" I realized, springing to my feet.  
"I know," she said, also getting up, "We have to act fast."

"Well where is Hollow Moon supposed to take place?" I asked, "Because it can't take place all over the world, can it?"  
"Well . . . yes and no. It won't take place all over the world, but the whole world will be affected. It'll be pitch black everywhere - no sun or moon to illuminate the sky. Because both the moon and sun will be present over Europe."

"Europe . . . So we have to go to Europe," I mumbled, calculating.  
"Yes. We'll have to be careful though. Of course Aurora knows you'll try to turn off Austin's powers. So she's going to be trying to kill you," she told me, "She'll be trying harder then ever."

I nodded. I'd expected as much. Aurora's plans to kill me had stopped surprising me long ago. "Let's get moving," I said, "We don't have much time."  
"Agreed," she said.

"Almost every important figure in the Azimon is here today," I said, "We'll gather everybody, including the Council, in the assembly room." The assembly room was a large indoor amphitheater, used for occasions when a large amount of important people needed to be addressed.

"Alright," she said, "Good idea."  
"We'll have to make sure _everybody _is there. Austin's parents, Domingo . . . Kate," I chocked out her name, tears leaking out of my eyes. Thinking of Kate made me think of Luna. Luna was dying, _right now. _And to get the cure, Kate would have to give herself up to Aurora. And I knew she would do it. I would do the same thing if I was in her place. But thinking of my best friend in the clutches of Aurora, the same woman who had taken my fiancee, made me sick.

Thinking of Aurora at all made me sick. I hated her. I hated her more then anything else in the entire world. Hatred for her burned so hot in my soul that it physically _hurt _her. I ached with anger and _longing _to make her suffer. I hated her _that_ much. She was _disgusting. _She was barely a person. She used people and she killed people. She had killed me. She poisoned a _baby, _my god daughter. She was going to use my fiancee and my best friend for world domination. She'd ruined my life before, and I wasn't going to stand for it again.

When I found her, I was going to kill her.


End file.
